Volcanoes

updated, expanded, and reposted from April 2007

We are working out way through Ann Voskamp's A Child's Geography this year. We just finished the chapter on plate tectonics and the next chapter explores earthquakes and volcanoes in more depth, so I brought out this post to dust off and update.Use discretion, of course, because these are secular science sources.

Make a volcano:

1. Classic version
2. Easier, messy mentos version - I'll mention here that the video indicates that the fumes from this version may be toxic
   
3. Another easier version
4. Easiest version - this is the one I'm sending to Gran's, but I'm writing a note on it to add the red food coloring to the vinegar, because I know that my kids won't buy that's it's a volcanic eruption if the "lava" is white
5. Cheater's version
6. Or you could make a lava light instead.
   

Worksheets, etc. :

1. Crayola Volcano Mini Book
2. Time for Kids map worksheets here and here.
3. Label a volcano diagram
4. Volcano writing paper and coloring page
5. Fill in the blank
6. Volcano shape book, Make Words, and more from abcteach.
7. Flap book

Videos:

1. Eyewitness - Volcano
   

Online articles:

1. Science News for Kids - enter "volcanoes" in the search box if nothing comes up. There are several articles
2. "Explore Volcanoes"
3. "Volcano! Mountain of Fire" - this online story at National Geographic Kids has video clips as well.

Online activities:

1. VolcanoWorld's Games & Fun Stuff - has a neat dot to dot among other things
2. For older kids (looks like preteen and up): a strategy game in which you are a disaster manager handling a volcanic eruption and evacuating a town
3. Discovery Kids Volcano Explorer - see plate boundaries and volcano locations on a globe, learn the types of volcanoes, and build a virtual volcano
   

And last, but not least -

Home Ec (otherwise known as Snack Time):

• Volcano Cake - easy version
• Volcano Cake - really, cool, I'll never actually get around to making something this beautiful and complicated version
• Volcano Cake - really cool and equally complicated version - go ahead and try it if you have all of those pan sizes
• Paula's Volcano cake - I wish somebody else would make me this complicated version
  
• Just for fun
• This one might be worth the trouble - it really doesn't look impossible - and it's really, really cool:
  

Which would you make??

Books:

We have a basket full of books coming from the library about Volcanoes, Volcanoe National Park in Hawaii, Mount St. Helens, and Pompeii. I'll try to add our favorites here on a booklist.

Next up: Earthquakes

"Photo courtesy PDPhoto.org".