Snow Volcano Experiment STEM Activity

Does your family love the snow or science experiments? Experience snow in a whole new way with this SUPER FUN Snow Volcano Experiment that you can do with your kiddos.

Kids love snow and they love fizzing, bubbling things (like science experiment volcanoes!). Today I have a fun STEM experiment that combines both of these super fun things: a snow volcano!

Bonus: all the mess gets left outside!

This winter chemistry activity is ideal for kids from toddlers and up. And it makes a terrific team activity, so it’s perfect for use at home or in the classroom.

If you’ve ever done the classic volcano experiment with your kids, try this super fun twist on a classic to reignite a love of science!

Love crafts and easy DIY projects? Grab this mini activity book for more kids love by clicking the image below – free! 👇

If you don’t have snow where you live, you can also do this experiment in the sand (at the beach or a sandbox).

Why Does This Snow Volcano Work?

The vinegar (an acid) and baking soda (a base) neutralize each other through a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide, a gas. The gas bubbling up to the surface creates the lava effect. 

The kids will LOVE the erupting, foaming effect!

In chemistry, mixing two or more materials gives you a new substance. In this experiment, the new substance is carbon dioxide gas! 

You can use this experience to talk about different states of matter (solids, liquids, and gasses) in this cool winter science activity – and in general!

If you want more fun activities for the whole family, try my:

• Indoor Sensory “Grass” Play Activity
• Rainbow Walking Water Experiment
• Hobbies For Kids: Fun Ideas They’ll Love.

Ingredients Needed For Snow Volcano Experiment Recipe

You don’t need anything fancy for this experiment. Depending on where you live, fresh snow may be the hardest to find. If you can’t find fresh snow, use sand instead!

*NOTE: for the exact details on how to do this project, please grab the handy printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

• Fresh Snow
• Scoop – a garden shovel or large serving spoon will work well too
• Cup – glass or plastic
• Baking Soda – regular household baking soda
• Dish Soap – any brand
• Squeeze Bottle – the vinegar goes in this bottle. You can reuse these bottles for other activities too such as Outdoor DIY Puffy Paint!
• Vinegar – white vinegar works the best for this
• Food Coloring – you choose what colors you want to use
• Spoon

Snow Volcano Experiment Video

Want to see this experiment in action before you try it yourself? Here’s a short video showing how much fun (and how easy) this project is!

How To Make Snow Volcano Experiment

Are you ready? Here we go….😁

Step 1

Using a scoop or small shovel, form the snow into a volcano shape.

Step 2

Scoop out a small area in the middle of the volcano and then place a cup in the center that has been scooped out.

Step 3

Firmly pack the snow around the cup that has been placed in the center of the volcano.

Step 4

Now, put the baking soda in the cup first and then the dish soap.

Step 5

Using whatever color or colors you wish, put several drops of food coloring in the cup.

Step 6

Pour vinegar into the squeeze bottle, then squeeze the vinegar into the cup in the volcano. The contents of the cup will react by beginning to rise then flowing over the sides of the cup and snow.

Step 7

Continue squeezing more vinegar in the cup to see if there are any other reactions.

Snow Volcano Experiment Recipe Notes And Tips

• If you use a bottle with a narrow opening, you may be able to get your lava to shoot up into the air a little!

• The more food coloring you add, the darker the lava will be.

• Adding in the dish soap gives you extra frothy bubbles in this experiment.

• If the bubbling slows down, just add a little more baking soda to get it going again!

Love crafts and easy DIY projects? Grab this mini activity book for more activities kids love by clicking the image below – free! 👇

Variations of Snow Volcano Experiment To Try

• When the lava flow begins to slow down, squeeze a little more vinegar into your volcano to get it flowing again.

• Change the color of your volcano by mixing different colors see what fun colors you can create.

• Add the colors of the rainbow to the cup before adding the vinegar. It will be so fun to see how the colors explode.

• Try using warm vinegar and cold vinegar to see if there is any difference in the size of the eruption.

• Put some glitter in the cup along with the food coloring. SO cool!!!

FAQs

Here are some common questions I see readers ask about our Snow Volcano Experiment. If you don’t see your question below, please leave it in the comments so I can answer it!

What kind of vinegar is best for this Snow Volcano Experiment?

White vinegar is definitely the best kind to use. The white vinegar will give the food coloring a more vibrant color as the volcano erupts.

Any other kind of vinegar will likely give the food coloring a muddy appearance as the volcano erupts.

If I do not have vinegar, is there another common household item I can use?

That is a great question!

I have not tried it myself but have heard that using ketchup will work in place of vinegar. This would likely eliminate the need for food coloring as well unless you want to mix the colors with the ketchup and see what you get. 🙂

How can I make a snowy volcano without snow?

If you don’t have snow on the ground, try this. Use an ice shaver if you have one available. Create the mound with the shaved ice in the same way you would with the snow.

OR another option is to skip the cold stuff altogether and do sand instead.

More Fun, Kid-Friendly Activities To Try

• 14 Games to Play When Bored (beyond belief) at Home
• 75+ Fun Things to do With Kids at Home (updated for self-isolation)
• Easy DIY Nutella Edible Playdough
• Easy DIY Glow-In-The-Dark Bath Bombs

Love crafts and easy DIY projects? Grab this mini activity book for more by clicking the image below – free! 👇