The National Geographic Volcano Science Kit takes students through the full process of making a model volcano. They cast the volcano from plaster using the included mold, paint it, and then use eruption powder to make it erupt.
The kit includes plaster, a volcano mold, paints and a paintbrush, eruption powder, three volcanic rock specimens (geode, obsidian and pumice) and a full-color learning guide. The guide covers tectonic plates, earthquakes, how volcanoes form and the different types of volcanic rock.
The project fits naturally into an earth science unit: students can build and decorate their models over one session, run eruptions in the next, and use the real rock specimens to link the model to actual geology.