Step 1. The Base

The piece of cardboard will be the base of the volcano. Tape the vial near the center. The vial will be the lava pond or magma conduit.

Step 2. The Interior


The interior of your volcano will be made of newspaper wrapped in tape. Make balls from the newspaper.

 


You will need balls of different sizes. Use the balls to shape your volcano.

 


Wrap the surface of the volcano in aluminum foil. Tape the foil to the bottom of the cardboard. Gently cut the foil above the vial. A pencil is useful to hold the center of the foil over the center of your volcano.

 


Take your model outside and paint it. Photo by Christopher Milford.

 


To make your model look more volcanic, add a coat of spray glue and sprinkle sand over the volcano. You can paint the sand black if you wish. You can add several layers. Photo by Christopher Milford.

This model is of a stratovolcano. Stratovolcanoes, like Mt. Hood in Oregon and Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helensin Washington have moderate to steep slopes because they erupt sticky lava that does not travel far from the vent and ash.