You are viewing the printer-friendly version of this page. See the normal version here.

How to…
Make a Volcano that Erupts

What you’ll need:

  • 1 newspaper
  • 1-2 cups of flour
  • 1-2 cups water
  • 1 medium size bowl
  • 1 pair of scissors
  • 1 roll of scotch or masking tape
  • 1 small plastic bag
  • 1 pencil
  • 1 disposable water bottle
  • 1 medium size box
  • Paint / Paint brushes
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp baking soda
  • 1 Tbsp Cherry Jello Mix
  1. Find a Medium-Sized Box. You’d be surprised how many stores around town just throw away perfectly good boxes. You should be able to find one pretty easily and for free if you ask around.
  1. Cut the Box to the Shape You Want Your Diorama to be. Keep the sides that you cut, and cut them into strips about 1-inch thick. They’ll come in handy later on. Then, place a plastic water bottle in the middle of the box and trace a circle around its base.
  1. Build Your Mountain! Cover the bottle with a plastic bag, but cut a hole through the bag for the top of the bottle. Drape the plastic bag with cardboard strips (you might want to use the edges of the box that you cut). This will give the mountain some structure. Tape the strips together all around the bottle and bag, and remember to leave a hole in the strips at the top for the crater.
  1. Give The Volcano Shape. This is always Kim’s favorite part—mix a cup of flour with enough water to get a pasty consistency, like glue. Dip strips of newspaper into your paste with one hand and get rid of any extra goop with the other. You want the strips to be wet but not drippy. Place them over the cardboard structure until it and the bottom of the box are covered with a few layers of newspaper (but leave a hole at the top!). Let the model dry and use the time to clean up your workspace.
  2. Paint Your Volcano. Nothing says that a volcano has to be boring brown or that the grass has to be nothing but green. Paint the flowers of the island and the mushimush berries that fall from the trees. Show people the colorful iguanas that haunt the forest or the beautiful fish we catch for dinner. There’s no wrong color to use when you’re painting the island, because they’re all here.
  1. Make the Volcano Explode! Using a funnel, put 1/4 cup of vinegar into the bottle beneath the volcano. Take two tablespoons and baking soda and mix it with cherry jello powder mix until it becomes pink. Wrap the mixture in a thin tissue paper, and insert into the volcano.
  1. Stand back—your volcano is official active!