A model volcano is an activity and educational project which can be done with your children or built for a science fair project. It may be a bit messy but the end results are worth the clean up needed. Why not try making your own volcano? Nothing makes science more fun than a modestly-sized, safe explosion followed by oozing substances down the sides of the project.

Whether you're studying volcanoes in school, trying to think of a fun and fascinating science fair project, or simply looking for something entertaining (and educational!) to do on a lazy weekend, you should try your hand at making an erupting model of a volcano. This project can be as basic or as elaborate as you want it to be, making it an ideal undertaking for all ages, and all of the ingredients and materials are probably already in your home. It also provides a vivid illustration of a simple chemical reaction, which allows kids to see that science can be both fun and accessible. With our easy-to-follow instructions, you'll be dodging lava in no time!

Read on to learn how to make your own volcano,eruption and all!

First, you'll need to make a batch of play dough, which you'll use to form a realistic volcanic surface on your model.

The Volcano: Play Dough Ingredients

• 6 cups flour
• 2 cups salt
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 cups water
• Food coloring

1. Mix the flour, salt, cooking oil and water by hand (no electric mixers!) in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and firm to the touch.
2. Add a few drops of the food coloring of your choice in order to give the dough its desired color. Remember, this dough is going to form the outer surface of your volcano, so feel free to make it look as realistic or as wild as you want! Brown and gray colors will give it the feel of a more realistic mountainside, whereas purple, blue, green and orange, mountains can dazzle and impress your audience. Some kids choose to make the mountain colored the same as their schools colors for lighter-hearted school projects.

Once you're finished with the dough, set it aside and get to work on assembling the model itself. The whole process, including drying time, will take a little over 24 hours, so be sure to plan enough time into your project schedule. Here are the materials you will need, and the steps for assembling the volcano:

Materials

• 1 cardboard box or sheet of plywood
• 1 liter soda bottle, clean and empty
• Old newspapers
• Tape or glue
• Homemade play dough (see recipe above)
• Rolling pin
• Water
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon dish soap
• Food coloring
• 1/4 cup white vinegar

1. Take your cardboard box or sheet of plywood, and set it on a large, flat work surface.
2. Place your soda bottle in the middle of the box or sheet of plywood; it will probably help to make sure the bottle is attached to the box or plywood, either by taping it down or gluing it firmly. Don't worry about looks at this point - the bottle will soon be completely covered!
3. Roll up the old newspaper or other scraps of paper into tight balls.
4. Place the balls around and up the soda bottle, sticking them together with tape or glue as you work, in order to form a conical volcano shape and conceal the bottle.
5. Lay the play dough on a flat surface and roll it with your rolling pin until you've formed a thin sheet large enough to drape over your volcano.
6. After placing the sheet of play dough over the model, make sure you remove the dough just over the opening of your soda bottle, so you have a hole in the top of the model.
7. Enhance your model by adding detail! This is your chance to get creative. You could spray paint sections of your volcano brown or green, make trees or people out of any remaining dough, paint red streams starting at the opening of the volcano and traveling down the mountain to symbolize lava flow, make ridges and channels in the dough to create texture - anything you want!
8. Allow the model time to dry. (This could take up to 24 hours if you've added paint, so plan ahead if you're making this for a school project.)
9. After the model is dry and you're ready for the grand finale, measure 1 tablespoon of dish soap, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, a few drops of food coloring (try red, red and yellow or red and blue) and a small amount of water into the opening of your soda bottle.
10. Finally, the moment you've been waiting for: The eruption! When you're ready for your volcano to erupt, add 1/4 cup of white vinegar into the soda bottle, and stand back! You've just witnessed the chemical reaction that occurs between a base (the baking soda) and an acid (the vinegar); the eruption results from the release of the carbon dioxide gas that is created, just as it does in real volcanoes.http://www.volcanolive.com/model.html

1. Instead of making the play dough, you could also use plaster or papier-mache to cover the newspaper and create the outer layer of your model.

2. For a less embellished but much faster version, you could wrap tin foil around the balls of newspaper and the soda bottle in lieu of the play dough. Make sure you tape the foil down to the cardboard box or sheet of plywood in order to secure it, and don't forget to cut a hole near the opening of the bottle for the eruption!

3. Volcano World offers a large selection of alternate volcano models of varying degrees of difficulty, including an explosive model, a basic pebble model, an electronic model that involves physics as well as chemistry, and several print-out paper models that you can assemble at home.

4. In another variation, some people choose to pack loose soil around a central cup receptacle. The dirt is the only outer volcano exterior used, making it look very basic, but very simple to set up.

The authenticity and detail of your model volcano can be enhanced by adding landscape or a town surrounding the base of the volcano. In order to create a landscape at the base of your volcano:

1. Attach the base of the volcano to a large cut of sturdy board, strong enough to support the weight of the volcano and surrounding area.
2. Paint the base to match the desired color of your landscape, typically brown or green.
3. Allow the paint to dry.
4. Use a hot glue gun to attach model homes, and other structures to the board.
5. Once the structures are secured to the board, apply another coat of paint around the remaining areas, applying a thicker coat this time.
6. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle dirt or model green grass around the painted areas.
7. Allow the paint to dry and adhere to the dirt or grass.
8. Finish the landscape by adding trees, animals, and other details to the landscape.http://www.ehow.com/model-volcanoes/