Making a 'see inside' volcano Pt. 1

Friday at CRRL Headquarters we have our monthly school-age (K-6) program and we've had to raise the cap (usually 40) because of the amount of interest in the program. So I decided I probably shouldn't put off making the volcano any longer. So I figured I would also show how I made it: warning this was a messy process.

I started with two long floral Styrofoam pieces that you should be able to find at your local craft store:

I cut it down to the size I needed. I'm using a pizza pan covered with aluminum foil :

The plastic bottle is a 20 oz soda bottle with the neck cut off. To cut the foam I used a mixture of kitchen knives. In order to keep the foam in place when I cut it, I inserted wooden dowels: 

Next I drew out my basic shape directly on the foam: 

Then I used a bread knife to get the volcano down to cone size! 

At this point I took a break to clean up all the Styrofoam pieces-- that took a while. I also used an old paint brush to brush off some of the loose pieces. After that I ran outside to some of the pine tree branches that fell during the late-season snow storm VA got last week. I cut off some small (I mean SMALL - no longer than 2 inches) branches so that the volcano could have trees - because volcano ash actually has a lot of nutrients so if it doesn't erupt often- plants begin to grow:

Then, I pulled out the modeling clay that we got. Now, if you are going to do this make sure you buy AIR DRYING clay. You DO NOT want to put Styrofoam in the oven.

For the next part you want to make sure you are wearing old clothes that you don't mind possibly getting stained. I used parchment paper on the counter, and a rolling pin to roll it out. I then realized I should have put parchment in between the clay and rolling pin cuz I might have ruined my rolling pin, luckily it was a $2.00 one! I then started attaching it to the foam by pushing it in. I also used it to keep the plastic bottle in place. After I finished with the clay I put the branches into it. 

I found it was very important to smooth over the areas where the clay meets. I also made sure it was not perfect because volcanoes aren't smooth. 

Next up, either working of the "lava" or adding paint so that the "inside" view has layers.