I thought I would share a quick bit of fun we had mixing in a fine motor component to a super simple volcano in a test tube activity.
I keep a clear box from Home depot filled with goodies for home experiments close at hand. The contents vary, but right now we have it stocked with the following... plastic test tubes, plastic droppers, small glass jars, small water/pop bottles, elastics, balloons, plastic jars, alka seltzer tablets, Mentos and geyser kit (link below), modelling clay, straws, string, paper clips, magnets, magnifying glass. Other ingredients are just from the kitchen.
We used these fun little measuring spoons for the baking soda. The spoon needed to be small enough to comfortably fit into the tube to preserve the fine motor aspect, and to help eliminate the frustration of spillage with a larger spoon.
We had a small container to hold the baking soda and vinegar. You can also add food colour - we have done this in the past.
The tube is mounted with modelling clay.
This was fun because she added small amounts until the "fizz" reached the top of the tube.
This was very suspenseful 😉 It was fun for her to play around with quantities of ingredients to get large and smaller reactions. The larger volcano we have requires quite a bit of vinegar and baking soda, and they work with it for shorter periods. They loved doing it this way, and worked away for the better part of an hour and a half!
Very exciting when it reached the top!!
Very precise dropping going on here.
This is amazing for fine motor development and basic practical life spooning and dropping practice.
When the tube was too full she suctioned out some of the liquid to make space.
This is amazing for fine motor development and basic practical life spooning and dropping practice.
When the tube was too full she suctioned out some of the liquid to make space.
So we were chatting about very basic stuff throughout. We focused on observation. What was the reaction when the ingredients were mixed together? What did it sound like? Observing the size of the bubbles, quantity, buildup and dissipation.
Mr. Xander joined in 😃
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What great work for her! I love that concentrated look on her face too ;)
ReplyDeleteShe was so focused, so wonderful to see :) Thank you!
DeleteWhat a wonderful set up with the pie plat the test tube and the modeling clay. I like the fine motor skill going on here. I think this would be good for my littlest one. He calls them 'canoes.'
ReplyDeleteWe have a set of shelves in our classroom that home a zillion science activity items. We have most of the items you do. I also go through our science activity cards and other books and make a shopping list. We also do crafts from time to time and these items are on the same shelves. Come to think of it, we need some more shelving! Thanks for sharing this great volcano idea.
I have been a long time reader of your blog, and I really appreciate all the ideas and tips you share!
Thank you Abbie!! We loved this one, it was so easy and quick to put together. I love that you have all kinds of science going on!! Science activities are a favorite here as well. It's fun to see Ava developing such a love for it:)
DeleteWe have tons more to come!! I am so happy you have stuck with us , thanks again for your sweet comments:) I love that "canoes"...so cute:)
You described really very well about test tube volcano activity. Thanks for this one..
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome! Thanks for checking it out!!
DeleteI love your variation of the volcano experiment, Cherine! And your daughter is AMAZING in the video ... so mature! :) I was happy to share this on Sulia (and my other social media sites)!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb!! I was so happy to see her reaction to this version of the activity :) She loves making videos :)
DeleteMy goodness her expressions are priceless. What a great experiment.
ReplyDeleteAva is a funny lady and she does enjoy her "science" so much :) Thank you for commenting!!
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