STEM Storytime – Volcanoes
Join Let's Talk Science Outreach to read Todd Tarpley's book, "Oh, the Lavas That Flow!: All About Volcanoes" and complete a hands-on science activity about volcanoes!
In this activity, students will learn all about volcanoes. Then they will use everyday household items to conduct a simple chemical reaction that looks like a volcano erupting.
For this activity, students will need:
- baking soda
- vinegar
- dish soap
- baking sheet
- small jar or bottle
- spoon or dropper
- paper towels in case of spills
- optional: materials to build around the small jar/bottle to make it look like a real volcano with sloped sides ahead of time (e.g., foil, playdough, clay, boxes, etc.)
- optional: food coloring (orange or red)
Quick description of activity: Students will place a small jar or bottle on top of a baking pan and add small amounts of baking soda, dish soap, and food colouring (optional) to it. They will then slowly add vinegar and watch as their volcano “erupts”.
Note that this can get messy, so ensure that students are not near electronics, and have paper towels ready in case of spills. Small quantities for each student/group of students will work well to see the reaction in class. As an extension, you could also try this activity outside as a class with a larger volcano and observe a larger reaction!
For each week that you participate in a STEM Storytime live event, you’ll receive an entry in our monthly draw for a $50 gift card to buy books for your classroom! If you cannot make it to a live session, feel free to register and you will be sent a link to the recording afterwards.
You can find upcoming listings on the events section of the Let’s Talk Science website: https://letstalkscience.ca/events?type=storytime.