Understanding volcanoes (or volcanos) is a vital part of understanding our planet and our history. The volcano that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum impacted society while other less visible volcanoes are constantly changing the ocean floor and sometimes creating land. The study of volcanoes, volcanology (or vulcanology), is very dangerous, but progress in this field could prevent future tragedies from occuring.

We’re starting to put together resources for the Volcano Unit. Any ideas or suggestions can be posted here.

Art:

Make a volcano using the DiscoverySchool.com volcanoes lesson plan for Grades 3-5.

Science:

Learn about under water volcanoes at the Vents Program website.

The information from Wikipedia.org is great for older kids. It even shows what scientists are doing to predict volcanoes.

Volcano World-Kids has ideas and projects for learning about volcanoes.

History:

Study Ancient Pompeii.

Math:

Use the coordinates from this site to discuss latitude and longitude. Try to find the volcanoes that aren’t marked on a more accurate map.

Another fun project submitted by Ambyryoshi:

Volcano Cake

1. Take 1 cup of self-rising flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 1/2/ teaspoon of salt. Mix the ingredients to form a batter. Pour the batter into a greased cake pan. With your hands, shape the mixture to form a slight peak.

3. Place the cake pan in an oven, preheated to 400*F and back for 30-40 minutes. The cake is ready when the chocolate “lava” starts to flow. Remember, lava is very hot –so wait for it to cool before you try to eat it.