Making a volcano out of salt dough and then using baking soda and vinegar to make it erupt is a classic kitchen science experiment practically everyone has done. But have you ever made a salt shaker volcano that erupts like a geyser? Check it out below.
Make a Salt Shaker Volcano
My kids were so excited when I told them my idea to make a salt shaker volcano! We headed to the kitchen to gather the following supplies:
- Empty salt shaker
- Vinegar
- Dish soap
- Food coloring
- Tissue (We tried both tissue paper and toilet paper and both worked fine.)
- Baking soda
- Baking dish
We filled the salt shaker about halfway with vinegar and then mixed in a few drops of dish soap. The kids added a couple of drops of food coloring to the mix, just for fun. We set the salt shaker in a baking dish to catch the overflow. (This can get a bit messy!)
We laid out a small square of tissue and placed about a teaspoon of baking soda in the center. Then the kids wrapped the tissue around the baking soda in a little ball. We were all ready!
To make the salt shaker volcano explode, the kids dropped the baking soda bundle into the vinegar mixture and quickly screwed the lid on top. As the tissue dissolved, baking soda was released and reacted with vinegar to create a fizzy eruption!
Sometimes we didn’t get the lid fastened quickly enough and the eruption squirted out the sides of the cap. One time the tissue blocked part of the lid and liquid came erupting out just one hole like a drinking fountain. It was crazy fun.
The Science Behind a Salt Shaker Volcano
When baking soda and vinegar are mixed together they form carbon dioxide gas. This gas rushes up and out of the solution with such speed that it takes some of the solution along with it! Adding dish soap to this reaction makes it more frothy and foamy.
More Baking Soda and Vinegar Fun for Kids –>
We just did that expirement and it surely was very funnny