By Luke Voogt
A bi-carb and vinegar volcano “exploded” in the Shannon family’s central Geelong home on Tuesday as part of National Science Week.
Mother-of-five Melle Shannon’s three youngest took on the classic science experiment after seeing it on Geelong Regional Library’s website.
“I was actually surprised at how much the boys liked the volcano and we had everything on hand – we made the playdo ourselves,” she said.
“It was quick to make and it was kind of instant. There wasn’t a lot of wastage and it didn’t cost much, so it was good for the budget.”
Older sister Lykeira, 16, helped younger brothers Paxten, 8 and Tybius, 4, set things up.
“It’s something [the two boys] actually enjoyed doing together, other than fighting,” Melle laughed.
Her kids had a strong “social network” among each other at home while isolated by COVID-19 but the house could get crowded at times, she said.
“We were going to start our extension, so obviously that hasn’t happened. Our house is quite small but I’m very thankful for our backyard.”
Melle planned for her kids to complete three other ‘science at home’ experiments listed on the library’s website in coming weeks.
“I try to keep to them as busy as possible,” she said.
“Tybius probably hasn’t had a lot of experience in science but it’s one of Paxten’s favourite subjects at school.”
Grade 3 student Paxten described the experiment as “really fun” mostly because it “actually exploded”.
“I didn’t think it would work,” he admitted.
“Bi-carb soda, vinegar and water react not-goodly. I like to build stuff. We don’t do proper experiments normally, we just do Lego.”
Details: www.grlc.vic.gov.au/virtual-events/children/activities.
Luke Voogt
