🌋The Great Volcano Eruption of 2024: A Science Project Gone Wrong

Science projects. They’re supposed to teach kids about the wonders of the natural world, but in my house, they’re more like live-action comedy sketches with extra cleanup. I should have known better than to attempt a baking soda volcano with Brittany and Blake, but in a burst of optimism (and coffee-fueled delusion☕️), I thought, What could go wrong?

Spoiler: Everything. Everything went wrong.

The Setup

It started innocently enough. Brittany, ever the perfectionist🎨, insisted her volcano couldn’t just erupt; it had to “represent the fiery core of Earth’s raw power.” Blake, on the other hand, was mostly excited about “making things blow up💥.”

We gathered supplies: baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, a paper-mâché volcano painstakingly crafted by Brittany, and—because Pinterest suggested it—a bottle

of dish soap 🧼. Duke (our dignified Yorkie 🐾) and Duchess (the hyper Mini Schnauzer) sat nearby, clearly suspicious of this "project." They’ve been around long enough to know that any activity involving Blake usually ends in chaos.

The Eruption

The moment arrived. Brittany carefully measured the vinegar and added just the right amount of food coloring for a realistic lava effect 🌋. Blake dumped in the baking soda with all the finesse of a seven-year-old who believes "more is more."

When the vinegar hit the baking soda, foam bubbled up and oozed out perfectly. Brittany beamed with pride, declaring it “an unqualified success 🎉.” Blake started chanting, “MORE! MORE! MORE!”

This is where things went sideways.

Blake, determined to “make it explode like a real volcano 💣,” grabbed the dish soap and squeezed. Hard. Into the volcano. Onto the table. And—somehow—directly onto Duchess, who had wandered too close to the action.

The Explosion

The reaction was immediate. Foam shot out of the volcano like a geyser 🌋, drenching the table and splattering the walls.

Brittany screamed, “It’s out of control! 😱” while Blake cheered, “IT’S ALIIIIIVE! 😆”

Duke, our noble Yorkie, responded to the chaos by barking furiously at the foam, as if it were an intruder that needed vanquishing 🐕. Duchess, covered in soapy goo, freaked out and bolted, leaving tiny red paw prints all over the floor 🐾. She darted through the house like a streak of soapy lava, dragging Blake into her trail of destruction as he tried to “save her.”

Meanwhile, I was frozen in place, clutching the empty dish soap bottle and wondering if it was too late to enroll the kids in an online science course instead 🫠.

The Aftermath

By the time the "eruption" subsided, the kitchen was unrecognizable. The floor was a sticky mix of foam and dog tracks 🧽, the walls looked like a crime scene 🩸, and the kids were covered in what could only be described as a failed art project 🎨.

Duke gave me a withering look that clearly said, “This is why I nap 🛌.” Duchess, still sudsy, skidded into the dog bed and looked thoroughly unimpressed with her accidental bubble bath.

Blake declared it the best science project ever 🎉. Brittany sulked, muttering something about how Blake “ruined her artistic vision 🎭.” And me? I was knee-deep in foam, wondering if vinegar and baking soda had an emotional support hotline 📞.

The Lessons

So, what did we learn?

Dish soap should come with a “parental discretion advised” warning ⚠️.
Dogs are not fans of impromptu science experiments, especially if they involve explosions🚫🐶.
Blake should never be left unsupervised near a bottle of anything 🧴.
Baking soda volcanoes are not nearly as contained as Pinterest would have you believe.

The Moral

Despite the chaos, I couldn’t help but laugh (once the floor was clean and the dogs were de-foamed 🤦‍♀️). Sure, we didn’t achieve scientific greatness, but we did create a family memory we’ll be laughing about for years❤️.

Next time, though? We’re skipping the volcano. We’re building a bridge out of toothpicks 🦷. What could possibly go wrong? (Don’t answer that.)

~ Mary

#MomLifeWithMary