Easy Baking Soda Volcano for Kids (Play Dough Experiment)

We’re big fans of science experiments around here, and this play dough baking soda volcano is one we come back to again and again. My kids love trying new experiments. But sometimes the classics really are the best. Like how to make a volcano… with play dough… science fair, anyone?

We’ve turned the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment into a volcano more times than I can count. And every single time, my kids crowd around the tray like it’s the first eruption they’ve ever seen. Same reaction. Same squeals. I’ll take it!

This time we kept things super simple with a play dough volcano built around a plastic beaker. It was a hit with my preschoolers and my too-cool-for-school older kids. Even better? The cleanup was easy. If you need a low-mess science experiment for your classroom or kitchen table, this one fits the bill.

Bonus: this is the perfect job for that play dough that’s starting to dry out, or the batch that’s been squished into one big brownish-gray blob. (Every classroom has one. Every house too.) The vinegar makes the dough wet anyway, so it’s a great way to give it one last hurrah.

play dough volcano baking soda and vinegar science experiment for kids

Recommended Grade Level:

Preschool

Kindergarten

1st Grade

Supply List
Coordinating Activities

Materials for the Play Dough Volcano Science Experiment:

Play dough (homemade or store-bought)
Plastic beaker or small plastic bottle
Baking soda
Vinegar
Dish soap
Washable paint
Tray
Measuring cup and spoons
Masking tape (optional)
Water (optional)

Materials for the Play Dough Volcano
How to Make a Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano
What Kids Learn from a Baking Soda Volcano
Differentiate the Volcano Experiment
Keep the Eruptions Coming
Books About Volcanoes for Kids
Ready for More Fizzy Fun?

If your kids love science, they will love this fun twist on the classic baking soda and vinegar science experiment using a play dough volcano!

Materials for the Play Dough Volcano

Good news: you probably have everything already. No special trip to the store required!

Play dough (homemade or store-bought)
Plastic beaker or small plastic bottle
Baking soda
Vinegar
Dish soap
Washable paint
Tray
Measuring cup and spoons
Masking tape (optional)
Water (optional)

How to Make a Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

Teaching kids how to make a volcano with baking soda and vinegar is super easy. Here’s how we do it.

Step 1: Mix up the lava

Stir together up to a cup of baking soda, 1 to 2 oz of washable paint and about 1 teaspoon of dish soap.

The dish soap is the secret ingredient!

It helps the volcano erupt slower, so the fun lasts longer.

If the mixture is too thick, add a touch of water. Pour ½ to 1 cup of your lava mixture into the beaker.

Step 2: Get your tray ready

Set the beaker in the middle of your tray. A bit of masking tape on the bottom keeps it from scooting around while everyone builds.

(Trust me, someone will bump it.)

Step 3: Build your volcano

Press the play dough around the beaker until it looks like a mountain. Just don’t cover the opening at the top! The vinegar needs a way in.

Figuring out how to build a play dough volcano around a beaker or bottle is also a sneaky way to work in fine motor practice. I always love sneaking fine motor skills in with my kids… even the older ones who seem to use their thumbs for texting more than anything else. Sigh.

Step 4: Let it erupt!

Pour a small amount of vinegar into the beaker and watch the volcano erupt. Keep adding vinegar a little at a time until the fizzing stops. Then scoop it out, add fresh lava and do it all over again. Because you know they’re going to ask!

Of course, the baking soda and vinegar reaction also makes a great drain cleaner. But I’m pretty sure the kids will enjoy it a whole lot more as a volcano.

What Kids Learn from a Baking Soda Volcano

Sure, the big, fizzy eruption is the main event. But don’t let all the bubbles fool you! There’s a LOT of learning hiding in this little experiment.

Chemical reactions: Kids get to watch two ingredients mix and make something brand new (carbon dioxide gas). That gas is what makes all those bubbles.
Cause and effect: More vinegar, more fizz. Less dish soap, faster eruption. Before long, your little scientists are predicting what will happen next.
Science vocabulary: Erupt, lava, reaction, gas… these words pop up naturally while they play.
Measuring and counting: Scooping, pouring and counting spoonfuls sneaks in early math.
Fine motor skills: All that squishing and shaping builds strong little hands.

For preschoolers, I keep the explanation short and sweet: “When the vinegar and baking soda mix, they make a gas. The gas makes bubbles that push up and out, just like lava!” That’s it. Then we erupt it again.

Make your own volcano out of play dough with baking soda and vinegar for an easy volcano experiment

Differentiate the Volcano Experiment

One of my favorite things about this play dough volcano experiment? It works for my littlest learners and my big kids with just a few tweaks. Here’s how to meet everyone right where they are.

Simplify

Pre-mix the lava ahead of time, so kids can focus on building and pouring.
Use a squeeze bottle or medicine dropper for the vinegar. Little hands get more control (and you get less vinegar on the floor).
Build the volcano together, with each child adding one ball of play dough at a time.
Offer two choices at each step: “Red lava or orange lava?” “Big pour or little pour?”

On-Level

Let kids measure the baking soda and vinegar themselves.
Ask them to predict how high the lava will go before each eruption, then check.
Have them draw the steps in order: build, fill, pour, erupt.

Add a Challenge

Set up a fair test: one volcano with dish soap, one without. Which one foams longer?
Time each eruption with a stopwatch and record the results in a simple chart.
Change one thing (warm vinegar, more baking soda, a skinnier bottle) and explain what happened.
Label a volcano diagram with crater, vent, magma and lava, then compare it to your play dough model.

Keep the Eruptions Coming

One eruption is never enough. Ever. When they’re ready for round five (or fifty), try one of these.

Rainbow eruptions: Mix three small batches of lava in different colors and erupt them one after another.
Dinosaur volcano: Add a few toy dinosaurs around the base. Instant prehistoric small world play!
Volcano journal: Have kids draw what they saw before, during and after the eruption.
Erupt and count: Add vinegar one spoonful at a time and count how many it takes to make the lava spill over.
Take it outside: Build a giant volcano out of sand or dirt around a water bottle for an even bigger eruption. (And zero cleanup. You’re welcome.)

Books About Volcanoes for Kids

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission on purchases made through those links.

I love pairing an experiment with a good book. It helps kids connect their little tabletop volcano to the real (and much bigger!) thing. Here are some favorites to grab from your library.

Volcanoes by Franklyn M. Branley (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science)
Hill of Fire by Thomas P. Lewis
Volcano Wakes Up! by Lisa Westberg Peters
Volcano! by Ellen J. Prager (Jump Into Science)
National Geographic Readers: Volcanoes! by Anne Schreiber
The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top by Gail Herman
Volcanoes by Seymour Simon

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda?

Vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base. When they meet, they react and make carbonic acid, which quickly breaks apart into water and carbon dioxide gas. That gas is what creates all the bubbles. But if your kids are anything like mine, the part they get most excited about is how BIG their volcano gets!

How do I make my baking soda volcano erupt bigger?

Go tall and skinny. A narrow container like a water bottle lets the foam build up before it spills over. A little extra baking soda and a quick pour of vinegar help too.

Why do you add dish soap?

Dish soap traps the gas bubbles, so the lava gets foamier and the eruption lasts longer. It also looks a lot more like real lava oozing down the sides.

What can I use besides play dough to make a volcano?

You can make an “explosion” by mixing baking soda and vinegar in just about any container. For the most volcano-like eruption, use something tall and narrow like a glass, vase, water bottle, canning jar or even an aluminum can. Sand, dirt, cloud dough or a paper mache mountain all work for the outside.

What else can I use to make an eruption?

Out of baking soda or vinegar? Try soda and Mentos, soda and Pop Rocks or baking soda and lemon juice.

Is this safe for preschoolers?

Yes, with a grown-up close by. Vinegar stings if it gets in eyes, so remind kids to keep their hands away from their faces and keep a wet washcloth handy. Washable paint and a tray keep the mess under control.

Ready for More Fizzy Fun?

If your kids are begging for another eruption (and they will be), grab our free baking soda and vinegar science printable. Your little scientists can predict, test and record what happens with every fizzy reaction. It’s a great way to keep the excitement going and sneak in a little science journaling too.