Volcano displays - Natural History Museum or Science Museum

[saadia]

Ds1, now 3, is obsessed with volcanoes and what's inside them and no matter how I explain it the concept is obviously difficult for him to grasp so I was hoping someone would know where would be the best place to take him to see a volcano display.

Natural History Museum, deffo. I think the Earth Galleries have that sort of thing. Worth a visit anyway!

Thanks snafu, will hopefully go next week. Added bonus at the NHM is the dinosaurs, which also fascinate ds.

check out the Nat His website here It looks really good.

Have you tried making volcanos with him? I got a kit from somewhere that makes a plaster of paris one that has a hole in the top and you put bicarb and vinegar and red dye in and it explodes up.

also made one from papier mache with a toilet roll tube in the middle and squirted paint from a washing up bottle from underneath. (we used powder paint and didnt mix it quite properly so got te ash cloud affect too -def one to do outside)

Thanks tarantula - I haven't been inside a museum since school days so am looking forward to these sorts of outings. Will definitely look out for volcano kits - didn't realise there were such things - although your toilet roll/washing-up bottle creation sounds much more entertaining.

Easy to make without kit. Tape a bog roll to a bit of card board. Sellotape a shallow plastic bottle top into the top, open end uppermost. Coat the outside with playdough to give a volcano cone shape, leaving the bottle top oven at the top end. Fill with bicarbonate of soda with a small splash of red food colour. Add vinegar, voila! lava!. the more chemicals yuo use the more lava/mess it makes.

I'm sure ds will love that hmb, will try it in the garden this weekend. I'm now quite fascinated to see how the "explosion" happens myself.