Vinegar and Baking Soda Volcano Science

A small plastic bottle

Baking soda (2 tablespoons per eruption)

White vinegar (about half a cup per eruption)

Dish soap (a squeeze)

Red food coloring

Modeling clay or damp sand for the volcano shape

A tray to catch the overflow

Place the bottle on a tray. Shape clay or sand around it as a volcano, leaving the opening clear.

Add 2 tablespoons baking soda, a squeeze of dish soap, and red food coloring to the bottle.

Pour in half a cup of vinegar. Step back.

Watch the fizzy red eruption overflow and cascade down the sides.

Discuss: "Vinegar and baking soda created carbon dioxide gas — that's what made the bubbles."

Experiment: "What happens with MORE baking soda? MORE vinegar?"

Try adding different colors for different eruptions.

Do this outside or on a large tray. The mess is significant and that's part of the fun.

The dish soap is what makes it foam instead of just fizz. Don't skip it.

Try warm vinegar vs. cold vinegar. Warm vinegar reacts faster — a great variable to test.

Let your child measure the ingredients. Measuring is math in action.

After the wow factor fades, focus on the science: "What's the gas that's being created? Where does it go?"