Exploding Volcano STEM Workshop 1
A few weeks ago, we invited the local Khlong Toei children to come learn about volcanoes on Saturday the 17th. Despite the rainy weather, we had twelve children participating and three entailing hours of enjoyment and excitement.
The workshop kicked off with an introduction to volcanoes: what are they and where are they? Sadly, there were no volcanoes in Thailand as the children had anticipated. This was because, as they learnt, there are no plate boundaries here. After, the children summoned their inner artist and drew their own volcanoes. The best piece of art was promised a snack - though everyone received one later. The imaginative frame of mind was continued with the construction of a 3D volcano model and painting it. Albeit a very messy process, the models are quite majestic renditions!
As we waited for the models to dry, we had a break. The children showcased their football skills and were challenged by Malissa and Lily, who are both great footballers.
Finally, the long awaited part was reached. The children would be setting off their own volcanoes by working with four simple, household ingredients. With the help of chemistry, the reaction of baking soda and vinegar created carbon dioxide, which is a gas. The dish soap and food colouring added helped the gas to fizz and form larger, colourful bubbles. The dyed bubble mixture flowed out of the volcano model, mimicking how lava would.
To achieve larger and more dramatic explosions, however, we had to move outside and the children wore safety goggles as a precaution. Now, the reactions were mixed in plastic bottles instead of in the volcano model so they can be shaken. After a demonstration by Hunter, the children furiously scrambled to prepare the ingredients and be the next person to shake the bottle. We had multiple colourful and spectacular explosions as a result.
We hope the children would have learnt something they normally wouldn’t have done in the classroom today, and have found the topic introduced compelling and interesting. As always, we are grateful for those supporting and guiding us, especially our supervising teacher and the staff at Rongrean Krapong Dang (โรงเรียนกระโปรงแดง) .
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