Rory’s Fizzing Volcano
Rory builds a volcano for the science fair, and the experiment goes bubbly wrong!
The school science fair was tomorrow, and Rory had a plan: a volcano that really erupted. With Esme the elephant, Rory made a mountain from clay and painted it brown.
Inside the crater went baking soda, a squirt of soap and some red paint. Then Rory poured in a little vinegar. FIZZ! Bubbles climbed out of the volcano, lava-red and frothy.
‘More!’ cried Esme. Rory poured more vinegar. And more. FIZZ-FIZZ-WHOOSH! A huge wave of red foam spilled over the table and onto the floor. It reached Esme’s shoes!
They looked at each other, and burst out laughing. ‘Too much vinegar!’ said Rory. They mopped up, and Rory wrote in a notebook: ‘Use only a little. Measure carefully.’
At the fair, Rory did the experiment again, perfectly. The foam rose slowly and spilled gently. Tessa the turtle clapped. ‘Excellent,’ said Tessa. ‘And I love your notes on what went wrong.’
The little lesson
Mistakes are part of discovering how things work.
Let’s talk about it
- What makes a volcano fizz?
- What would you do differently?
Finish stories to collect Rory as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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Poppy and the Mystery Beetle
Poppy discovers a strange beetle and follows the clues to find out what it is.
Max Makes a Rainbow
Max wonders where rainbows come from, and discovers how to make one at home.
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