It seems that children are so excited to learn about volcanoes. When my classes learned that we were going to take an imaginary trip to Mexico to learn about the Paricutin volcano, they were very interested. Paricutin is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is a volcano that, in 1943, came straight up out of the ground in a farmer's cornfield and, through steady eruptions, grew to be over 9,000 feet tall and 9 miles wide in a nine year period. The volcano went dormant in 1952.
In Physical Education we did a couple of experiments to show how volcanoes erupt (baking soda, red Koolaid, and vinegar), and how tectonic plates move above the magma (shaving cream and two partially dampened graham crackers) to contribute to the formation of volcanoes. The students were so interested and it was such fun. I'm amazed at how much information they are retaining. They've learned words like magma, lava, fissure, crust, core, active, and dormant.
Our physical activities varied greatly for this study. We used the parachute and yarn balls to act out a tremor, fissure, and eruption. To show lava flow we did a cooperative activity that had students working together to pass balls down a long dryer vent and land in a bucket. It was a challenge to keep the dryer vent at the correct angle to keep the lava flowing downward. On the last day of this activity we played a game called "Crater Ball." Students inside a circle of mats tossed yarn balls outside the crater while a group of children outside the crater tossed them in. This activity kept children very busy.
This class has made a nice shaped volcano and popped
all the balls up into the air and off the volcano.
Yarn balls act as lava shooting into the air.
This class forms a nice angle for their volcanic lava flow.
Working together to make balls travel down a dryer vent like lava.
The whole class throws balls outside the crater.
Students throw balls in and out of the volcano crater.
Making our own volcanic eruption.
Moving the dampened graham crackers together to demonstrate tectonic plates.
Click here for a few more pictures of our activities.
Click here for a few more pictures of our activities.
The actual Paricutin volcano in Mexico.
