Volcanic Eruptions of Mass Destruction

Let’s face it, volcanoes are cool.

The explosion, the smoke, the lava, the ground quaking in fear….are all great fodder for the imagination.  Making a volcano for a science fair project has become a cliché’ in American culture.  But cliché’s become cliché’s for a reason. The volcano is a tried and true standby for quick and easy scientific fun.

Who better than preschoolers to reap the benefits?

This experiment can be done using your imagination, a paper cup, baking soda, and vinegar. However, I was looking for something a bit more dramatic to end “V” week with a bang. So I searched online for some ideas and found this design.

http://www.create-kids-crafts.com/playdough-volcano.html

The design was exactly what I was looking for and as a bonus it called for simple materials that I had in the house  (tin foil, paper plate, cookie sheet, and play dough). I had a bunch of drying homemade play dough in bags that I couldn’t bring myself to throw away. So, it was a perfect chance to use it up.

I pretty much built the volcano myself, since Clark was freaking out about the impending explosion. He literally thought our house was going to be consumed by hot lava, fire, and explosions. I spent the whole time assuaging his fears and assuring him that it was a harmless experiment.

Clark used his Spider-sense button (a sticker on his hand) to make sure all was clear, before he agreed to help decorate the volcano.

I seized the opportunity to squeeze in a bit more science by giving the boys dinosaurs to decorate the volcano. We talked about how one theory of what happened to the dinosaurs was a massive volcanic eruption. Though, this set Clark to worrying again, and he hoarded his favorite ones out of harm’s way.

Miraculously, I managed to set this whole thing up before my husband left for work. It was great to have him there to take part in the fun.

Rather than save his plastic creatures, Simon delighted in dropping them into the “hot lava”. ( I better keep an eye on him!)

 

 

 

“V”ery Veggie

Vegetables are not just what’s for dinner. The classification of fruits and vegetables has always interested me, because it is not cut and dry. The scientific definition and what is commonly used are quite different. This gray  area provides the perfect opportunity to have kids exercise their scientific mind.

I have done this activity with many different age levels (kindergarten, 3rd grade, and 6th grade), so I knew even at the preschool level it would both fun and thought-provoking.  AT the higher levels, the kids are more active in cutting apart the fruit and vegetables, I use more challenging, exotic samples, and they work to create an operational definition.

The boys really took their “work” seriously. As you can see  in looking at the boys’ facial expressions as they pondered their decisions.

But, for Simon, my voracious fruit eater, the temptation was too great.  It didn’t take long for him to dig in.

And, Peter is getting less and less happy about activities being conducted on the table out of his reach. After snapping this picture, I let him crawl across the table and investigate the produce as well. I couldn’t get a photo of that for obvious safety reasons.

The activity wasn’t messy enough for our house, so I broke out the tempera paint for some vegetable prints.

Peter was rewarded for his patience.

And we even had a visit from the vacuum truck in the middle of our fun, which was cool being that it is V week and all. However, it would have been nice if it arrived after we had a chance to wash our hands.