Experiment: Under the Volcano

Experiment: Under the Volcano

I've been taking a digital-storytelling course at night for about 7 weeks. My original goal was to learn how to edit video, nothing too fancy. I just wanted to learn how to make a video with a steady hand sans jump cuts.

But making videos, as I discovered, involves a lot of advanced planning, a minimum knowledge of lighting and a very steady hand (Read: tripod). I quickly discovered that my first idea was a little too lofty and required a lot more time than just a few weeks. In addition, filming requires consistent lighting, so you have to film at exactly the same time of day. Since I work during the week, that left me only Fridays and possibly the weekends for filming. I also discovered that I needed a partner for some additional assistance. I could not ask my Significant Other because I would need his help using the movie software. My daughter was an option, but only if she found what I was doing interesting.

My ship came in yesterday. Both my kids were home with me, and my daughter wanted to do a volcano experiment. I decided to make a how-to science video. Not what I had hoped for, but the best I could do in the time I had.

Volcano experiment

For the volcano you will need a bottle. The volcano shape is made with salt dough, which takes about 10 minutes to make. Here's the recipe:

Salt dough
2 cups of white flour
1 cup of salt
2tbsp of vegetable oil
1/3 of a cup of water (mix a few drops of food colouring to give your volcano some colour. My kids chose blue...?) Mix this in a large bowl with your hands.

Add this to the outside of the bottle in the shape of a pyramid. We used a fork and knife to give the volcano a more textured look.

It was hard to make the volcano shell and film at the same time. We added a backdrop, a purple lizard, a bunch of plastic frogs and placed them all on a green plate to make it look more like a set. As you'll see in the video, we made up a little story incorporating a despotic red frog and a petulant purple lizard. It was fun.

Mixture for the volcanic reaction
 Take a glass and add
50ml of lukewarm water
50g of baking soda
3 or 4 drops of red food colouring
30ml of liquid dishwashing soap
Use a funnel and pour the mixture into the volcano bottle. Then rinse the funnel, and slowly add 100 ml of vinegar to the volcano's crater.

There is a rapid chemical reaction when the vinegar comes into contact with the baking soda.

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The Experimental Launch & Lava Lamp

The Experimental Launch & Lava Lamp

Lava Lamp

La la la! What a happy way to start. Our daughter is still on holidays this week and has been stubbornly focused on making a lava lamp, which was an experiment in a science book (La Science s'éclate de Yannick Bergeron) she received for Christmas. I must admit. The DIY lamp was cool, so I thought that I'd share it with you.

(See experiment below.)







The Day's Visual Picks (www.cronos4.tv)

Spousal unit and I have also been busy with an experiment of our own, a new blog, The Day's Visual Picks, which will be launched on Sunday, January 9. Because there are so many written blogs out there, we thought that people might be tired of reading and just want to see something new and exciting. Don't worry! This blog will continue.

Illustration by Jack Dylan

We share a lot of common interests in art, but we both have specific areas that interest us individually. I'll be taking my environmental interest with me to our new viz blog to find artists who use recycled materials and raise awareness about environmental issues in addition to finding visual art created by women because, as you are all aware, women are underrepresented in the arts. I'll also have my eyes peeled to feature local artists, both male and female. If you see anything of interest, please drop us a line.

The new site looks great, and our traffic has increased by 900% since January 1. Anyone subscribing by e-mail will have a chance to win a commissioned concert announcement for Arcade Fire by Jack Dylan.



Other Groovy Experiment: the Lava Lamp

Material

a can opener
large coffee tin
metal scissors
electric lamp with a flexible neck with a 40W bulb
electrical tape
a crate or bin with holes (we used a tangerine box)
aluminum plate
1 litre clear glass bottle
a bottle of baby oil
water
food colouring (we chose red)
antacid tablets

Process
1. Remove the bottom of the coffee can with a can opener.
2. With the metal scissors, cut a hole in the side of the coffee can that is big enough to accommodate the lamp neck and put the electrical tape on the sharp edges.
3. Set the tangerine crate down. Place the lamp next to it. Bend the lamp neck backwards until it rests on the crate with the lamp pointing upwards. Place the can over the lamp head.
4. Place the aluminum pie plate over the coffee can. Take the scissors and poke holes in the plate for the light to shine through. Switch on the lamp.
5. Take the bottle. Fill the bottle three-quarters full with baby oil and the last quarter with water.
6. Add the food colouring.
7. Place the full bottle on the aluminum pie plate. You may have to make some more holes under the bottle so there is sufficient light shining through.
8. Add the antacid tablets.

Now, shut off the lights and watch the chemical reaction and experience the lava-like experience.

Yeah! Now view the film (1min 4secs)



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