Mount St Cameron: The best papier-mâché volcano ever

I spent a lot of time over my summer holidays building a volcano with my Godson. Because what kid (or grown-up) doesn’t like to spend their summers getting a bit mucky and blowing things up?

Yes, Cameron turned 8 this year and, as much as possible, I am trying to do “experience” gifts or activity gifts that involve a bit of learning along with some fun. I looked at educational volcano kits, but they were too simplistic and prescriptive – without the fun of actually making the volcano. And so, the only reasonable solution was to build our own volcano.

Cameron was given the option of how we would create the volcano. The first option was papier-mâché. He looked interested when I described the process, but he didn’t commit as he wanted to know the other options. However, he quickly dismissed those (clay, Play-Doh, and other similar processes) and asked more questions about the papier-mâché before settling on that. (Which is great, as that was my preference!)

Over the next few days, we discussed different ways we could experiment with eruptions – including Diet Coke and Mentos, which he was most excited about. However, we agreed that we would do multiple eruptions anyway. We also mused about the approach to constructing the volcano and the supplies we would need. And I’m pleased to say that most of the supplies were free to us (although we scrounged things that other people had paid for at some point).

It took us much longer to build and erupt the volcano than I expected when I first floated the idea. However, part of that was down to the size of the mountain. In my mind, I was planning a small, table-top project that we could complete in a day or two. But Cameron wanted to go big, and I was easily swayed to his way of thinking – despite my initial idea of a small table-top project.

And I mean, Cameron wanted to go big, so we started with a base made from two sturdy cardboard boxes. We taped them together and used some wood shims and bamboo sticks to add rigidity to the base, all held together with heavy-duty duct tape. A lot of duct tape!

Once the base was done, we used some old chicken wire (scavenged from my sister’s garden) and more duct tape to construct the volcano form. Then, we started to add the papier-mâché layers – after running around to various shops in search of newspapers and sales flyers. (Enter an “old lady” musing about the decline of newspapers in recent years.) We completed three layers of papier-mâché over the course of two weeks (this was because I set off on a road trip with Daddy after the first layer was applied).

When I first suggested the project, I envisioned us collecting moss, branches, rocks, and other bits of nature to decorate the volcano – a full-on diorama volcano with a range of textures and dimensions. Cameron, however, had a more basic vision: A simple black volcano with white for snow and brown for the base, with some orange streaks for lava flows. I was unconvinced, but ultimately, it was his decision, so that’s what we did. And it looked great, especially the lava flows. (Simple is good!)

I was a little concerned about the strength of the volcano, but between the chicken wire foundation, the three layers of papier-mâché, and heavy coats of paint, I was happy to take the risk. I also needed to remind myself that the volcano was going to be destroyed by the end of the project, so it would be thrown away anyhow. And so, we began to make final plans for the eruption. Or rather, the eruptions, plural.

The eruptions ran the gamut from “how disappointing” to “wow!”. We began with a traditional vinegar and baking soda eruption, albeit with a twist of adding a touch of ash from Mount St Helens’ 1980 eruption. This was a decent eruption, but because we made the top of the volcano so flat, it didn’t have the flow we were hoping for. Instead, the “lava” pooled in the crater of the mountain.

Our next eruption was the one we were most excited about, but it was also the most disappointing. This was the classic “Mentos and Diet Coke” process with a 2-litre bottle of soda and a full roll of mints. We tried this method twice, using different approaches for launching the Mentos into the soda. The second attempt was better but still underwhelming.

We moved from liquid to smoke and flames for the next set of eruptions. The first couple used smoke bombs to varying success. Then we finished with a couple of small fountain-style fireworks. I think that the smoke and flames methods were best overall, although the science part of the liquid-based methods was nice.

In the end, I think it’s fair to say that everyone found enjoyment from the project at some point or another. Cameron got bored at different points in the building process, and we were all a little disappointed at some of the weaker eruptions. But all in all, this was a great summer activity. And I’m already thinking about what kind of cool things we can build together next year!