# Mini Egg Carton Volcanoes
> Turn a clear plastic egg carton upside down into a row of mini mountains, fill them with baking soda, and squirt in colored vinegar for lots of little pastel eruptions and a 'lava river'.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/science-activities-for-kids-mini-volcanones/
- Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 20 min, activity 20 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids
- Skills: science, chemical-reactions, color-mixing, fine-motor
- Cautions: food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 piece Clear plastic egg carton (household)
- 1 piece Craft knife
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Plastic squeeze bottles
- Liquid watercolors
- Food coloring (optional)
- 1 piece Spoon (household)
- 1 piece Tray or baking sheet (optional) (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of liquid watercolors: Food coloring (The author says you can use food color if you prefer it.)

## Safety
- Adult only: cut the egg carton with the craft knife before the kids arrive, and keep the knife out of reach.
- Vinegar stings eyes. Keep squirt bottles pointed down at the carton, especially during 'vinegar rain', and wash hands after.
- Baking soda, vinegar and liquid watercolors are not food. Supervise closely with toddlers who mouth things.
- Liquid watercolors and food coloring can stain hands, clothes and surfaces.

## Before you start
- Adult: cut out the bottom of each egg carton slot with a craft knife and snap off the lid.
- Color the vinegar with liquid watercolors or food coloring and fill the squeeze bottles, one color per bottle.

## Steps
1. Adult: cut out the bottom of each slot in the egg carton with a craft knife.
2. Snap off the lid and flip the carton over to make 'mini mountains'.
3. Fill the lid with baking soda.
4. Spoon baking soda into each slot through the hole on top. Add lots so the eruptions spill over.
5. Grab a squeeze bottle of colored vinegar.
6. Squirt the vinegar into a hole and watch the mini volcano erupt.
7. Erupt the volcanoes at the same time with friends and watch the colors run into a lava river.
8. Try 'vinegar rain': pour the vinegar from up high over the mountains.

## Tips
- Add lots of baking soda so the eruptions spill over the slots.
- With more than one kid playing, you can have simultaneous colorful eruptions.
- The children loved the pastel colored 'lava river'. They named the little ones 'baby eruptions'.
- The yellow eruptions were by far our favorite.
- A reader said it was awesome for her 20-month-olds and their almost-3-year-old friend. (from readers)

## FAQ
**Can I use food coloring instead of liquid watercolors?** Yes. The author colored the vinegar with liquid watercolor but says food color works if you prefer it.
**What makes it erupt?** Vinegar (an acid) reacts with baking soda and makes bubbles of carbon dioxide gas, which foam up and spill over the mountains.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

*Make colorful mini baking soda and vinegar eruptions with recyclables* Can't stress the gorgeousness of this science activity. Baking soda and vinegar eruptions have been done with multiple variations. Creative people out there are constantly reinventing this popular activity for a reason- it never gets old, especially to the kids. Today we share a simple twist on the same science activity. Materials

- - **Plastic Egg Carton**
- **[Craft Knife](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KRSWM6/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Vinegar](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07985NMQD/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Baking Soda](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077N2M7ZT/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- [**Plastic Squeeze Bottles**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W5CZZSZ/?tag=blmemo-20)
- **[Liquid Watercolors](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005V9VWZW/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **or [Food Coloring](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E0HBUSE/?tag=blmemo-20)**

Cut the bottom of each slot from the egg carton using a craft knife.Snap off the lid. Flip the carton over and make "mini mountains" Fill up the lid with baking soda and have the child spoon in the baking soda inside the egg carton slots through the hole ( which is now on the top) Add lots of baking soda to make the eruptions spill over the slots.  Fill up squirt bottles with colored vinegar. I colored the vinegar using liquid water color. You can use food color if you prefer that.  Time to play!  With more than 1 kid playing, you can have simultaneous colorful eruptions.  The children loved the pastel colored "lava river"  They named these " baby eruptions".  We also did "vinegar rain" where both of the kids poured the vinegar from up high.  The yellow eruptions were by far our favorite.  Simple colorful science.  All with just a plastic egg carton. 

Thanks for reading

**More on the baking soda eruptions and more science experiments here** **Rainbow Lemon Eruptions Vinegar free soapy non stop eruptions**

[](https://www.funlittles.com/science-experiments-kids-rainbow-lemon-eruptions/) [](https://www.funlittles.com/science-experiments-kids-lemon-suds-eruptions/)

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