Make a Volcano and Caldera

Earth ScienceWaterFor EducatorsIndoor ActivitiesNatural Disasters and Landforms
Written By Kim Manunui

Build a volcano in the sandpit or on a tray around a plastic bottle/container ¾ fillled with warm water.  Leave the neck of the bottle poking out of the crater of the volcano.  Add a few drops of red food colouring and a couple of tablespoons of baking soda.  When you are ready, pour in a cup of vinegar for an eruption of lava!  This can lead to a great discussion about acid-base reactions.  It can also lead to a good discussion about the build up of gases underground that causes a volcano to erupt.

Instructions for the volcano HERE

To explain the idea of a caldera (an awesome lesson for us here in Taupo), blow up a small balloon and write ‘magma chamber’ on it with a marker.  Bury it under a mountain of sand in the sandpit. Discuss how the mountain has a chamber of magma inside it. Make the volcano ‘erupt’ by poking a skewer through the sand into the balloon.  The volcano will collapse and leave a beautiful caldera. This is a great way to show how a big eruption, that expels all of the magma, can result in a caldera, which might fill up with water to create a lake, like Lake Taupo.

More about this activity, including instructions, a video, and background notes can be found HERE

Kim Manunui

Hi, I’m Kim and I work with a great team to help individuals, as well as small and not so small businesses get their message, product and services to the world using digital media and creating wonderful websites that don’t cost the earth.

I was born in Canada, and grew up around Vancouver and the mountains of British Columbia. My love of pristine environments led me to New Zealand and eventually to the mountains, lakes and rivers of the central North Island which is home. My family’s heritage is here, and it’s from here that Korio traverses the planet.

The digital world is never static and neither are we.

And I say ‘we’ because I work with an awesome group of talented people who I gather together as required to complete a project.  Whatever your business, not-for-profit or individual needs are we gather the best team to get the job done.

Collaboratively we are creative, share sustainable values and work hard for great outcomes because that’s the buzz of satisfaction that drives us.

If you have an audience and market to reach, we can make that happen. Creative design, words that work and smart behind the scenes stuff that cuts through the online noise. We’ll design your website and then build it. We’ll manage the content as well as all your hosting needs. We can handle your online advertising so you get noticed,
and we’ll manage your social media presence so you get the clicks, likes and engagement to grow your business. All within the budget you set, because none of this needs to cost the earth.  And the job doesn’t stop when your website goes live. We are your virtual business partner.

https://www.korio.co.nz
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