The world is a volcano

Obsession of the week has been volcanoes. I'm really enjoying it. I think it started with The Snail and the Whale (print activities) and a sticker book atlas. Find more sciencey eco stickers, toys, art supplies and learning resources in Vegan Family Guide.

We tried to make a vinegar volcano, but only had balsamic vinegar, so it wasn't quite the same. You can also make a volcano with cola and mints. Toddler Vegan didn't mind, as they see volcanoes everywhere we go. Here are some of our recent expeditions.

Make a big pile of cushions, blankets, duvets, in the living room or bedroom

If you leave a hole in the middle you can sit in it like a nest with Russian doll eggs.

Make a hole between cushions at the bottom to be a rabbit burrow, or hide some crystals (wooden blocks). Hide under an orange blanket cave.

To make the pile taller lean things against the corner of the room, or build around a bin or yoga cylinder.

Edible vegan volcanoes

Many squishy foods can be clumped together into a dome, with grated carrot or tomato sauce for added drama. Here we have also made a pile of hashbrowns, and a gingerbread mound. I cut baked potatoes in half, made holes, and stuffed lunch into them. They aren't pictured since they just looked like breasts.

Water and bubbles in the kitchen

Geysers be like: Freeze water in a tupperware, hack it out and melt it in a saucepan until it floats away as steam. Repeat.

Blow bubbles (with a reusable straw.)

Fill the bath with bubbles and...

Upend a funnel and slowly press it into the bubbles- they cascade out the spout.

Pick the bubbles up and load them into a bucket until they overflow.

Sandpit

Make a big pile and put a hole in it and overfill it, delighting as the water spills out.

An older child's stick fire arrangement can be imagined as a volcano due to its conical construction.

Crafts

Playdough can be anything.

Paint one, adding scrunched tissue paper blasts.

Painted jam jar over a torch.

Toilet roll.

Volcano colouring sheet by Tim's Printables

Papier mache volcano by Blue Bear Wood

Older children's printable volcano model templates by 3D Geography

Layers of the Earth craft ideas by I'm with Holly

Books

The Pebble in My Pocket: A History of Our Earth

Paper World: Planet Earth

The Animals of the Volcano

Under Earth Activity Book

Look for a recycled book in Oxfam or eBay.

Videos

Usborne website- The third video contains potentially frightening Pompei skeletons. The moneys in the hot spring are cute.

BBC Bitesize- We watched the mountain formation animation about five times.

Living Montessori Now- a long list.

River of Lava contains Toddler Vegan's favourite underwater footage.

An explainer.

I stumbled upon this and recognised it as a friend's wedding march.

Toddler Vegan seems to find this character amusing.

What Daddy Vegan and I watch when we watch TV together about once a year.

The land of lava lakes.