Erupting Volcano

Have you ever seen anyone use vinegar or baking soda to help with cleaning? There's a reason why it works so well – and it's all about CHEMISTRY. These everyday items aren't just for cooking; they can create some awesome reactions that are fun to watch and learn from.

In this experiment, we're going to see what happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda. It's a classic experiment that shows science in action. When you mix these two, you'll get to see a fizzy reaction between an acid and a base.

Before we get started, let's make some guesses about what might happen. Scientists like to make predictions, or hypotheses, before they do experiments. It helps them figure out what to expect and why things happen the way they do.

Have a go at making your best guess using the questions below:

1. Do you think the reaction will happen quickly, slowly, or somewhere in between?
2. Do you think the reaction will make noise, or will it be silent?

Tīmata! Let’s get started! 

• Baking soda - pēkana houra 
• Vinegar - winika 
• Food Colouring (optional)- kara kai 
• Dish Soap - hopi rīhi
• A bottle /container - ipu
• A Tray (to contain the mess) – paetopī

1. Place your container (ipu) in the centre of your tray (paetopī) - this represents the crater of the volcano (puia).

2. Add 2 tbsp of baking soda (pēkana houra) to the container.

3. Next, add a few drops of dish soap (hopi rīhi) and food colouring if you are using it (kara kai).

4. Finally pour ½ cup of vinegar (winika) into your container and watch as you create a volcanic eruption!

Extra for Experts!

• Get creative and build a volcano for your crater to sit in.
• Change the shape and size of your volcano crater – how does this affect the chemical reaction?
• Test what happens if you change the amount of baking soda or vinegar you add.

1. What could you see?
2. What could you hear?
3. What could you smell?
   

Baking soda and vinegar make a fizzy explosion!

Baking soda is a base, and vinegar is an acid. When they mix, they react because acids and bases try to balance each other out. This is called an acid-base reaction.

The gas needs to escape!

This reaction creates carbon dioxide gas—the same gas that makes fizzy drinks bubble!

The gas mixes with the vinegar, creating lots of foam. As more gas forms, it builds up pressure inside the container until the foam bursts out!

Adding dish soap traps the gas inside tiny bubbles, making the foam even bigger and fizzier!