You will need a plastic bottle, strips of paper towel, plaster of Paris and paints to make the volcano. A disposable baking pan and paper towels can be used to keep your work area clean. Two cups of vinegar and two tablespoons of baking soda are combined to complete the baking soda experiment.
Fourth grade children can build the volcano using plaster of Paris. After the sculpture dries, students can decorate their sculpture with washable paints. The bottle in the center of the volcano is used to mix the baking soda and vinegar.
Mixing an acid with a base creates carbon dioxide. The volcanic experiment can be used as a visual example to show children the science behind the mixture. The acid from the vinegar neutralizes the baking soda, which is a base. The reaction creates popping and fizzing, which resembles a volcanic reaction.
The volcano should be placed in a disposable baking pan. The pan baking pan will catch the run-off from the volcano experiment. You can easily clean up the mess by disposing of the volcano along with the disposable pan when the experiment is complete. There should also be paper towels available to clean up any mess. No ingredients used are toxic, so you can use soap and water to wash any part of the skin that comes in contact with any ingredients used in the experiment.