NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Volcano Science Kit

This kit is one of several from NG I have purchase to keep my kiddos 'engaged' during quarantine. I find all of the kits to be good quality and fairly priced. This one has a lot of pros, but some significant cons that you just need to be aware of in advance. Full disclosure: my kiddos are both under the age of 8 which is the 'required' age for this product so I was responsible for most of the work and could not hold the kit accountable for any failings on the part of my child. What is really nice about this product is that it is a step-wise process that stretches out the activity. The first thing to do is to mix the plaster to make the mold. THIS IS WHERE THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT FLAW IN THE DIRECTIONS. It assumes a knowledge of working with plaster and/or is downright erroneous. The plaster mix cures VERY QUICKLY while stirred (about a minute). The instructions advise to add more water to the mix "gradually" until it is thick but pourable. Knowing what I know now about plaster, I feel foolish admitting this, but I had NO IDEA that it would harden so quickly. The instructions even say to let the plaster sit for one minute before pouring into the mold! There is literally no way that could have been possible. The plaster hardened within seconds of the full cup of water being poured (about a minute in total from start of mixing) and unfortunately this is not apparent until it is literally too late. As it got harder to stir, I poured it into the mold but in chunks, resulting in a poorly constructed volcano which ultimately fell apart (more on that later). As I was assisting both my kiddos at the same time, my other child's plaster was completely too hard to use, and were it not for my husband having plaster, this would have been an epic disaster. We set both by the fire to dry for a day and they were dry enough to paint on within 24 hours, but I would wait longer the next time I do it. The one volcano made with our own plaster came out beautifully while the one from the kit was chunky and began breaking apart at the top, but not enough to prevent continuing. The kids painted their volcanoes and once again, I had to rely on my own resources because there was no where near enough paint in the tubes provided - again, though, my kids are both under 8 (4 and 5) and so use more paint than would a 'finer artist', but having more paint on hand was where the magic of this kit shone. The kids now had made their volcanoes (more or less) and were now marking them with their own creative license (our volcanoes were rainbow colored but they LOVED them), and then we waited a few hours until having them erupt. The mix provided allows for 3+ eruptions, but the key is to add the water SLOWLY but steadily (in hindsight, I would supply my kids with eye droppers for this part next time, again they are younger). We also added dish soap and then made our own mixtures of vinegar and baking soda. The one volcano made with plaster from the kid disintegrated a la Mt St Helen's after the third eruption so we used buckets for the latter eruptions. I explained the 'scientific accuracy' of the volcano doing that and my 4-year old bought it so it was all good. Plus the mold allows you to make new volcanoes again and againAll in all, it is a good activity worth the money and CAN BE MODIFIED FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN, albeit it with the right supervision and know-how, of course. Added bonus, the kits come with geodes which we got to break open using a hammer and an old sock. I do recommend but be prepared to use your own plaster and paint.

This was a great kit to use for teaching my 4 1/2 year old son about volcanoes. He loves science, and started asking questions about volcanoes after seeing one on a TV show he watched. I've had my eye on this kit for a little while as something that I might be able to use in my classroom as a STEAM Teacher, and decided that this would be a great opportunity to test it out.To start, the materials that come with the kit are great. The booklet about volcanoes is very informative, and provides a ton of information that would be great from Middle School aged children. The directions are easy to follow, and the process was clearly outlined. This kit does take a few days to complete, (due to the plaster needing to dry, be painted, etc.) but in a classroom setting, the time required for each part of the project would fit into a standard classroom time frame.Once the kit was put together, dried, and painted, it was time to watch it explode! While not the most fantastical volcano eruption possible, I found the reaction to be quite realistic. We didn't have bits exploding a foot in the air out of the volcano, but rather a constant flow of "lava" escaping from the volcano's mouth.Overall, my son had a blast using this, and I think it would be great for a classroom-type setting. I look forward to using this kit in my classroom at some point in the future.

I’ll start with the fact that the kits comes with an informational booklet about volcanos that the children love! The contents are of great quality with one exception, the instructions. The instructions for mixing the plaster are not only misleading, they are wrong. It says to slowly add the plaster into the water while stirring until you reach a thick yet pourable consistency then wait one minute. Well, two things... you will not need to use the entire packet of plaster and secondly the one minute wait results in a cement block that cannot be poured out of the container.I am pleased that the cast can be reused for multiple volcanos as long as you purchase more plaster or make your own. I would recommend this AS LONG AS you do NOT follow the instructions. Plaster sets quickly so the instructions need revision to state you will not need to use all of the plaster and to mix enough to fill the cast. Once you achieve desired consistency, immediately pour into the mold.

Worked fine for our science project. Hated the way the mold fit together and the paint came off after using it. But it made a nice little volcano and love the informational booklets that come with their projects.

I gave this to my 4 year old granddaughter for Christmas and she loved all of the steps that created together time with her dad. She felt very proud of what she created....and I think she loved the fact that she had something her 7 year old brother was so jealous of as he kept announcing it wasn't fair that she received that gift. But she did let him join in making the lava.

This was cute for my 4 year old son and I to do together. I liked that we were able to create the volcano itself together before the eruption. The only thing is that it's a bit on the smaller side so the eruption wasn't as exciting as I had hoped for. All in all it was fun though.

I just bought this as something fun to do with my daughter. I took care of everything except painting it because she’s only 5. She was absolutely thrilled with watching the mini eruptions though. If you do buy it and plan to do it for a smaller child to paint then watch you do the eruptions, open it and cast it ahead of time. Drying takes a couple of days.

He loved it

Item clearly says 12+. The plaster powder could be dangerous for kids. If you buy this, I would suggest you have rubber cloves, eye protection, and a good mask. The instruction was a bit misleading too. The water amount for the powder provided isn’t enough. The plaster would turn very hard if follow the instruction and the whole thing would be unusable.

Bought it for my daughter's Birthday, it was just disappointing to see that the effervescent tablets weren't there so there was no Volcano eruption for the little one.....Can't return after doing the doe and everything. too bad ...

My kids really enjoyed making the 2 kits I fit them. Make sure you di NOT over stir the plaster, it sets fast and once it starts its berry hard to get it dont properly. Pore while still liquid.Was fun to paint and easy to use. The geodes were fun to crack open.

Was perfect and easy to use 😊 after you keep the volcan and repeat activity with homestuff

It was a good project. My granddaughter enjoyed doing it. It was great for her to do with her dad. I’m glad I got out for her