Creativity 521 #74 - Is It a Boy Or Girl? {DIY Gender Reveal Volcano}

So we found out about the gender of our baby this week and IT'S GOING TO BE A.........
Well, how boring and unexciting to announce just like that, right? I didn't want my kids to find out in this dull manner so I kept it a secret from them until we got together to conduct a simple craft-cum-science activity. It's a pretty common experiment that many parents have done with their kids but I've been sitting on that for the longest time. Anyway, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to do this and voila, I modified it a little so that it becomes something really fun, unique and tells the girls if they are going to have a baby brother or sister.
In today's Creativity 521, we share with you all about our DIY Gender Reveal Volcano!
Materials used:
1) Modelling clay in assorted colours
2) Tray
3) Plastic sheet
4) Empty plastic container
5) Scissors
6) Cloth tape
7) Food colouring (Blue/Red)
8) Plastic jug
9) Vinegar
10) Baking soda
11) Dishwashing liquid
Firstly, cut the plastic sheet to fit the tray and round the corners. Next, cut the plastic container to the desired height, ensuring that one end is closed and the other is open.
Use tape, any kind as long as it is waterproof, to secure the closed end of the container to the center of the plastic sheet. As you can guess, this will be the crater of the volcano!
Next comes the fun but time-consuming part - Building your volcano! Well, the girls were definitely delighted to lay their hands on the modelling clay and be able to mold their very own volcano.
We started off by forming a large base and then slowly moving to the top.
Cover up the tip of the crater such that the plastic container doesn't show. You can use orange, yellow or red clay to act as the lava or even build a rainbow volcano too! In addition, you can also fill up the plastic sheet with your favorite color too! There is no limit when it comes to creativity, right?
Ta-dah! Here is our finished volcano! Not bad looking, right? Next comes the most exciting part of it all - to make the volcano ERUPT!
Well, we did it in the most old-fashioned and simple way - by mixing vinegar and baking soda. The result will be a bubbly, fizzing reaction due to the formation of carbon dioxide. I added a squirt of dishwashing liquid into the vinegar and swished it gently as I read that this will create the best and foamiest eruption.

So, I added the baking soda into the crater and poured the vinegar into a plastic jug. Next, I told the girls to slowly pour the vinegar into the crater and observe what happens.
A BLUE reaction will mean a baby BOY.
A RED reaction will mean a baby GIRL.
Obviously, I had secretly mixed the food colouring into the baking soda without them realising. So to them, it all seemed a little magical.
Well, watch what happens in this video here!

So yes, we now know the gender of the baby and everyone in the family is feeling thankful and excited. It was really fun doing this too and the girls couldn't wait to show their special volcano to everyone. Yay! Thank you for reading this post and sharing our joy!
For more DIY tutorials and craft inspiration, visit my gallery here.
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