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Underwater Volcano Experiment: An Enjoyable Science Experiment for Kids

By Puja RoyAugust 29, 2022
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Teach Your Little Scientists Underwater Volcano Experiment

The volcano is a very widely read topic in Geography books, but do your kids understand all of it? The science behind volcanic eruption might look a bit tricky sometimes. It may make your kids feel annoyed. Eventually, they start feeling irritated with the entire subject. But what if we tell you there is another way to teach kids some Science? You can always help them learn about volcanoes or volcanic eruptions by making a simple volcano craft.


The volcano science experiment does not take much of your time. By making a simple volcano craft, you can easily show your children both how cold and hot water work and, most importantly, what is the science behind water volcanoes. In this underwater volcano experiment, we have created a volcano to demonstrate its science.


How to do an Underwater Volcano Experiment?


Underwater volcano experiment


Underwater Volcano Experiment


Materials Required

  • Large container (it should be 4 to 5 inches taller than the smaller container)

  • Small glass or a glass jar (it must have a narrow mouth)

  • A string of 3 feet

  • Cold water

  • Hot water

  • Red food colour

  • Funnel


Steps to Follow for the Experiment

  • For the volcano experiment, firstly, you need to take a small jar to pour some hot water into it. This hot water is essential for doing the volcanic experiment simply because we all know how hot lava can be.

  • Before you go ahead and put some hot water into the container, you need to take the 3 feet long white string and attach it to the container. Make sure you do not use fragile white string because that can get torn. Instead, you can use a plastic string, so it does not break.

  • To get a proper result from the volcano experiment, you need to attach one end of the string to the mouth of the glass jar and the other end of the string to the end of the glass jar.

  • In this working model of volcano, you need to tie the knot a little tightly. Make sure to cut off the excess from the end of the string. After finishing, you can see a string handle which helps you to pick up the smaller jar and slowly put it down into the bigger one.

  • To make this working model of a volcano work, you need to take a funnel. Now, pour the hot water into the smaller glass jar.

  • Now, take the red food colouring and add a few drops to the hot water you have just poured into the small jar. After adding the food colour, the water should become dark red. This is one of the most important stages of making a water volcano.

  • The next step to making a water volcano is to get an enormous container, at least 5 inches taller than the smaller one.

  • Fill the container with cold water. This is the next big step for the underwater volcano experiment.

  • Now, to get the result of the volcano science experiment, you need to hold the string carefully, lift the small glass jar off the floor, and put it down into the bigger container. Do it slowly. If you want, you can practise the process several times before actually doing it.

  • Observe how the water starts changing. This is the simple process of how to make a volcano project.


Volcano experiment


Volcano Experiment


Science Behind Underwater Volcano Experiment 

It is not enough to show the kids how you experiment; it is also essential to explain how it happens. You can put the volcano experiment and a simple volcano diagram side by side and tell them how the working of the hot and cold water does the trick. The underwater volcano is created because the hot water rises and the cold water goes down. But why does it happen? It happens because the particles of the hot water move faster than the cold water.


You must have known that any dense liquid tends to sink, and the less dense one rises. When you place the smaller jar with hot water into the bigger one, the hot water wants to rise and come out of the glass jar and spread on top of the container. Since the hot water is less dense, it comes from the glass jar’s mouth and looks like red lava. 


So, you can see that by using a simple volcano diagram or doing a small experiment, you can understand the science behind the volcanic eruption.


Conclusion

We all know that people might forget what they hear but tend to remember what they see, forever. This simple thought can help you teach kids about various new things using different experiments. So, if you are one of those parents who find it very difficult to teach kids Science, you might understand the benefits of important experiments. A volcano experiment is one such experiment you can do with your kids by sitting at home.


Also, if you are a working parent and think about time a lot, then do not worry! This experiment does not take a lot of your time either. Just a little bit of mixing, and you are good to go. That is why, according to us, any volcanic experiment is important to make kids understand the science behind the volcanic experiment. The experiment is important too, not just from an academic point of view, you can grow your kids' motor skills and create a strong bond with you.