With a small group of Rainbow Room children showing an interest in volcanoes, they decided to investigate a little more to see what they could find out. We looked at videos and photos of volcanoes on the internet and visited the school library to see what we could find out. The children who did the initial investigation were then able to share their findings with the rest of the children and soon lots of them were interested, even playing imaginatively in the construction area to depict an erupting volcano.
The next stage of learning was to move outdoors to create volcanoes using papier mache and then, once dry, they were painted to make them look more realistic. By this time nearly all the children were involved and excited about their volcanoes so we decided it was time to create our own volcanoes based on two different sets of materials (Coke and mints/vinegar and bicarbonate of soda). The children showed themselves to be super scientists, observing and comparing closely the difference between each eruption. The experiment was carried out several times and everyone was very excited to discuss their observations.
Once the experiment was completed, the children used pooters to empty their volcanoes and they turned their papier mache creation into a snowy village for their animals and Duplo figures so the children’s hard work was put to good use. It can be surprising what develops from a few children asking about a volcano but we think that these children led a super learning activity.
