Getting Ready. Decide where you want to carry out this activity. It can get a bit messy. Buy some commercial papier-mache or use these directions to help your child start his or her own papier-mache: * Tear some newspaper into 1- to 2- inch strips. * Soak the strips in warm water for an hour or so. (Some people just soak it overnight.) * Mix flour and water to make at least one quart of runny paste.
1. Wad up some dry pieces of newspaper and arrange them in a cone-shaped pile roughly six inches across and six inches high on the center of the plywood or cardboard. When you and your child have agreed on the general size and shape, put some of your paste into a smaller bowl, thicken it, and use it to glue the wadded paper cone to the board. 2. Have your child dip the soaked newspaper strips in the runny paste so that they are thoroughly covered and begin laying them, overlapping one another, on the cone of wadded paper. Your child should continue adding pieces until the papier-mache is at least 1/8 inch thick. As your child builds and the newspaper below dampens, he or she will be able to poke and push to create a realistic volcano shape. Encourage him or her to add hills, rivers, and other land forms around the volcano. 3. Your child should use her finger to poke a funnel-shaped hole, about one inch wide, at the top center of the mountain and narrowing down. This will be the throat of the volcano. It should be about two inches deep. Place a couple of small pieces of the paste-covered paper at the bottom of the hole to seal it off. 4. Place the damp volcano aside and allow it to dry for two or three days. Your child can return to this activity before the papier-mache has completely finished drying to paint the volcano and make it look more realistic. 5. It's time to erupt! Place about a teaspoonful of baking soda down the throat of the volcano. Then, pour a teaspoonful of vinegar into the throat. If this doesn't result in a fully satisfying eruption, try varying the amounts and see what combination works best. Have your child record the ingredients and amounts for the best eruptions in his or her science notebook. Talk about what you're seeing and about volcanoes in general.
Ask: * Is lava really like baking soda and vinegar? * Why do you think the lava comes out? * Why is it so hot? What must our planet be like inside? |
|
