TRIED AND TRUE!

We've been studying about the different kinds of volcanoes. Tomorrow in our class Laci is doing her oral presentation on an active volcano, so we decided to construct one ourselves. I'm sure most of you have done this at one time or another. You can make this simple recipe with things straight from your pantry.

3 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
empty 20-oz drink bottle
deep plate or pan
food coloring (0ptional)
dishwashing detergent
baking soda
vinegar

1) Mix together first four ingredients. Let your kids mix together the dough and get their fingers all sticky and gooey, or do like me and use a spoon to stir. Add more water if too stiff.

2) Fill the drink bottle most of the way full with hot water. Add a squirt of detergent and some baking soda (2 tbl).

3) Let the sculpting begin! You can use food coloring to get the desired effect, but I used whole wheat floor to give it that brownish look. If you want the look of hot lava, add food coloring with other ingredients inside bottle.

When you are ready for eruption, pour some vinegar into the bottle (which already contains mentioned ingredients above).

You can make your volcano erupt again and again by adding more baking soda and vinegar.




It's a good thing volcanoes are formed in all shapes and sizes or I'd swear this was a replica of the leaning Tower of Pisa!

But if you want the traditional volcano look (short and fat) you'll need a miniature water bottle.

Sculpting is an art after all, right?