Preschool science projects

mysweetpeasWil&Wes wrote: I have been trying to plan a science project for Wil to do at home each week. Last week we made homemade playdoh and this week I want to make one of those valcanoes. He is sooooooooo into volcanoes lately...I don't even know where he learned about them, but whenever he sees a mountain, he calls it "volcano BOOM!". We picked out books from the library a couple weeks back and we got one about hot lava, he was fascinated! So I think he would love to make his own working volcano. Please help....

So anyone know the recipe to making homemade lava?? Is it just baking soda and club soda...or something like that? And how do I make a mountain...what does the lava come out of? I could google it, but just thought this would be a fun post to share our preschool science projects. Please share if you have other fun ideas!

boyohboyohboy replied: caleb tells me that last year they did this in his preschool and the volcano was just made of wet sand..and the lava was baking powder and baking soda?
now this is coming from a 5 yr old, does that sound right?

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Okay I found this:

To make an erupting volcano you will need:

A volcano - Talk to an art teacher about making a volcano out of paper mache or plaster. If you're in a hurry to make your volcano, use a mound of dirt outside.
A container that 35mm film comes in.
Red and yellow food coloring (optional)
Vinegar
Liquid dish washing soap
What to do:

Go outside
Put the film canister into the volcano at the top
Add two spoonfuls of baking soda
Add about a spoonful of soap
Add about 3 drops of the red and yellow food coloring

Now for the eruption!:

Add about an ounce of the vinegar into the container and watch what happens.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Any other fun ideas...Please share!

CantWait replied: Coke and a Mentos would work........

Kentuckychick replied:
I was about to suggest that... SOOOOO much fun!!!
But make sure it's DIET coke or you will have a big sticky mess on your hands

PrairieMom replied: water and corn starch makes some super cool slime. Ben has me make it and we use it as a tar pit for his dinosaurs. Its really messy, but it cleans up super easy.

Cornstarch Slime
You will need:

# cup
# spoon

# 1 tbs water
# food coloring (optional)
# 1/8 cup corn starch

Procedure:

1. If you want to use food coloring, add a drop to the water now.
2. Add the water slowly to the corn starch.
3. Mix slowly and add the water only a little at a time. This stuff will make a mess, no matter how careful you are. You may need to mix it with your hands rather than a spoon.
4. You will know when the mix is righ, because the wet powder will stick together and suddenly start behaving very oddly.
5. The difference between dry cornstarch, slime, and cloudy white starch water is small, so you may need to make adjustments to your mix.
6. If the substance seems too crumbly, add more water.
7. If it's too liquid, add more cornstarch.

The slime should be liquid on top. Poke it with your finger to make sure. Now pour a little into your hand, squeeze, and release.

Once you get the consistency right, the slime will have weird (non-Newtonian) properties. It will flow fairly quickly into the bottom of the bowl, and you can poke your fingers into it, but if you if you squeeze it or hit it sharply, it will act like a solid.

My3LilMonkeys replied: Thanks, Tara - that sounds really cool!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Yeah, thanks Tara! We'll have to try that one! And I never knew the one about coke and mentos!

Keep em coming!

PrairieMom replied: It is pretty cool. When its wet it gets all over everything, but if you let it dry it turns back into corn starch powder, and is super easy to clean up.

basilbird replied: This is such a weird coincidence! Just the other day, my oldest daughter and I were brainstorming, trying to come up with some ideas for a unique sweet-sixteen party. I said "Maybe we could have a Halloween Sweet Sixteen Carnival." She replied, "Yeah! And we could make that SLIME like we used to!"

Yup! Make the SLIME, it's really fun... and they'll remember it for a long time!!

MommyToAshley replied: what a neat idea... you'll have to let us know how it turns out!