Read this aloud:
Deep under a mountain, something is building up. For years, nothing happens. Then one day the mountain rumbles, and rock bursts out of the top. People have been making pretend volcanoes in kitchens for a long time. But a real volcano doesn't have baking soda in it. Your job: make a kitchen volcano, then find out what really makes a mountain explode.
Jobs for one, two or three kids:
- Chemist: measures the baking soda and vinegar.
- Geologist: builds and looks after the mountain.
- Reporter: watches closely and describes each eruption out loud, like a news report.
One child does all three. Two? Swap between the volcano and the bottle.
In the full lesson PDF
- Bet (5 min)
- Hunt (20–30 min)
- Reveal (10 min)
- Act (10 min)
- The science, for grown-ups
- Questions they'll ask (and what to say)
- Make it easier, make it harder
- Go further
- Student sheet
Written for parents: no science background needed. US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white, with a kids’ sheet on its own page.