Create your volcano by first making a dough to sculpt with. Mix 2 cups of water and salt, with 6 cups of flour and 4 tbsp. of cooking oil. When you combine this mixture together it will form a doughy shell. If the consistency is not exactly right, you may need to add a little more water. You can also add paint or food coloring to your dough to give it a volcano color.
Sculpt your volcano using a cardboard box and a plastic soda bottle. Cut the sides off the box and place the bottle in the center of the box. The lid should be removed from the bottle, and you can then begin building your volcano around the bottle. The dough you created can be sculpted around the bottle to form a volcano shape with sloping sides. The volcano does not have to be perfectly smooth, leaving bumps will make it look more realistic.
Painting your volcano with give it a more realistic appearance. If you did not add food coloring or paint to the dough, then you will first want to paint it a volcano color, such as brown. Then add paint details around the top with a red color, to mimic lava flowing from the volcano. Painting your volcano will also help seal the dough. This will prevent the dough from cracking when your volcano erupts.
To make your volcano erupt, fill the plastic soda bottle half full of water and add 4 or 5 drops of liquid dishwashing detergent. Add 2 tbsp. of baking soda to the mixture and when ready to erupt, slowly pour vinegar into the bottle. The baking soda and vinegar will cause the mixture to fizz and run down the sides of your volcano. The dish-washing detergent will give the mixture a bubbly appearance. Add food coloring to give the lava color.