Erupting Jell-O Volcanos

I'm sure, like me, you've done the tried-and-true baking soda and vinegar volcanos many a time.  But earlier this week I saw this great idea on Pinterest...add Jell-O powder!  The Jell-O not only turns it into a fun color, but it also has a great smell.  It makes it so much more fun than just plain baking soda and vinegar.

So, you will need:

*Baking Soda
*Vinegar
*Jell-O
*Dish with sides to catch the mixture
*Tall-ish container (any container will work, but I like how it looks in the kind pictured above)

What to do:

There are no exact measurements needed for this science experiment.  In your container, mix together equal parts Jell-O powder and baking soda.  We used about 1 TBS for each explosion, and it was a perfect amount.

Then, slowly pour vinegar into the container and watch it explode!  We used about 1/4 cup, maybe a little less per explosion.



Ellie was our expert vinegar pourer.  

  

The kids did this one over and over again.  You can just continue filling your container with more of the ingredients and watching it explode.  I love the picture above of Aaron's face.  He thought it was the coolest thing ever.

The kids also enjoyed trying to catch the bubbles spilling over the sides or poking the bubbles with their fingers (and then licking it-ew!).

We also experimented with putting little tiny beads inside the tube.  We wondered if the explosion would force them up or not.  Surprisingly, we found that the positioning of the beads was the determining factor (beads on top of the baking soda rose, while those placed under the baking soda did not).  It would be fun to try this with even more objects.

After about 10 rounds of explosions, the kids spent about 20 minutes just playing with various containers and scoops in the Jell-O mixture.



Have you done any fun science experiments lately?  Leave a comment below!