Eruption Day!

We are ready! Here's what we're going to try:
1. Baking soda and vinegar-the old tried and true. Science Bob says to add a little dish soap and food coloring.
2. Active yeast and hydrogen peroxide.

Claire's prediction:

I think that the yeast one will have a better reaction than the vinegar because the yeast and peroxide have more chemically compound elements. Also I have seen a little baking soda and vinegar and it isn’t that impressive.

Here's what happened:

Volcano eruption #1: Baking soda and vinegar with a touch of dish soap and a few drops of red and yellow food coloring.

Observations: reaction time, immediate. As soon as I poured the vinegar it started bubbling. It was really foamy. Probably should have used less dish soap. I compared this to a Hawaiian eruption because it was a quiet eruption that did not create a fountain of lava and the lava was runny.

Volcano Eruption #2:

Volcano eruption #2: Active yeast and hydrogen peroxide.

Observaions: reaction time, slower than baking soda and vinegar. I compared this this to a Hawaiian eruption also. It was slow, not violent at all, very quiet. It was thicker than the baking soda and vinegar. Still wouldn't be a Strombolian eruption because it didn't make a fountain of lava.

Volcano eruption #3: Diet Coke and Mentos (just for fun!)

Observations: reaction time , almost immediate, once the Mentos went in to the Diet Coke. The liquid shot high into the air. I think it would be considered a Plinian eruption because it was very fast, and very high. Plinian eruptions blow gas, ash and debris high into the atmosphere.  

Getting Closer to Eruption Day

We are getting closer. The paper mache is dry. Claire painted the first coat of primer on the volcano yesterday. Today she did the brown coat. I wish we had better detail, because the paint is actually texturized and has a little gold sparkle in it. After the brown dried, she painted some bright orange and red lava flowing down the sides and pooling at the bottom.

We will be experimenting with different eruptions next week. Stay tuned...

First Flute Lesson

Claire has been begging for flute lessons for quite a while now. So, we finally said, "Why not?" and enrolled her in private lessons at a nearby music school. This video was taken after her first lesson, where she learned 3 notes, B, A, G.
I'm so proud of her. She's been practicing for hours on end! She quite enthusiastic!

Tried and True

Today we started making our papier mache volcano. We've been reading about earthquakes and volcanoes for a while now, and Claire decided she really wanted to make a volcano. (She came up with a pretty cool experiment for seismic waves all on her own. We're still trying to get the videos on the computer though. I'll let her write that up, hopefully soon!)
We talked about what would give us the most exciting eruption. Of course, there is the tried and true vinegar and baking soda, which we may try. But I think our first eruption will be created with Diet Coke and Mentos. (Thanks Eepy Bird guys!)
So for now, I'll just post a few pictures of Claire making her volcano, up to her elbows in flour, water and glue. What fun!