Craft time Volcano

Paper Mache Volcano is super easy and crazy inexpensive! All you need is some creativity!

What you need:
- A Bucket of flour and water well mixed. I used 5 cups of flour to 3 cups of water.
- Jar/Bottle for the inside of your volcano
- Paper (junk mail, paper grocery sacks, old bills, etc)
- Platform (I used a plastic storage tote lid)
- Paint
- Baking Soda and Vinegar (and red food coloring if you have some!)

Start by building up a base around your volcano center with some crinkled up paper. Dip your paper in the flour/water mixture and slide off any excess then start building your volcano as large or small as you would like! This can get quite messy...but the kids will love it and its super easy to clean up!

Once your volcano is formed, let it dry. This could take a few hours or overnight depending on how wet you made your mixture. I recommend letting it set overnight anyway, this will help extend the craft time over the course of several days!

Then its time to COLOR!! Henry and Addie wanted to use markers and finger paints so they spent some time scribbling all over their volcano. Addie even used a tape measure to see how far the lava would have to fall. Then the painting began.

 This is definitely the messiest part and the most fun! 

Henry and Addie had a blast and they got real creative making different aspects to their volcano even a pond. We use refillable finger paints from Crayola.

Let the dry overnight and then when you have a nice warm sunny day, take your volcano outside and let the fun begin! Henry set up some trees and a castle while Addie set rocks "throughout the land". They had a good time creating an entire story around the volcano! Don't let that creativity stop, encourage them to build the story and it will make it more fun for you and them! Its seriously hilarious to hear the things kids come up with!!

 Fill your inside with baking soda and when you are ready just pour in the vinegar!! I forgot to add the red food coloring, but the kids loved it just the same :)