Free
10 mins
Ages 3+
Rainbow milk
One drop of washing-up liquid and the colours swirl like magic. Ten minutes, zero cost.
Crafts and slime
Fizzing garden volcano
Build a mud or sand mountain around a bottle, then make it erupt. Again. And again. And again.
Ages3+
Time30 mins
CostUnder £5
MessVery messy
WhereOutdoors
What you need
Vinegar stings if it gets in eyes, so keep faces back when pouring.
Let's go
Stand the bottle in the garden or a tray and build a mountain of mud or sand around it, leaving the top open.
Put the bicarbonate of soda, washing-up liquid and a few drops of food colouring into the bottle.
Add a splash of warm water and give it a gentle swirl.
Count down from five, then pour in the vinegar and stand back.
Talk about what happened. The vinegar and bicarb make a gas called carbon dioxide, and the bubbles push the foam up and out.
Real talk
- Top up with more bicarb and vinegar for repeat eruptions. Nobody stops at one.
- Warm water gives a faster, bigger eruption than cold.
- Older kids can test which amounts make the biggest eruption and keep score.
Club pick
GALT Science Lab
Twenty proper experiments in one box, from a test-tube kaleidoscope to a bouncy ball. Perfect for keeping a little scientist going on the next rainy day.
Best for ages 6+
Check the price on AmazonAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Volcano fans, meet the dinosaurs
Natural history and science museums are packed with rocks, fossils and things that go bang.
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