Skip to content
DIY Paper Mache Volcano - Safari Ltd®

DIY Paper Mache Volcano

Create a 3D volcano to go with your favorite Safari Ltd. dinosaurs! Using some simple kitchen ingredients, we'll show you how to create a volcanic eruption that will rock your prehistoric world! Read below for the full tutorial to create your own.

What you’ll need: 

-Safari Ltd. dinosaurs! We used: Allosaurus, Camasaurus and Stracosaurus!

-large piece of cardboard

-small, empty container, such as a spice container

-Newspaper

-Flour

-Water

-Brown paint

-Green paint

-Green pipe cleaners

-Green pom poms, beads, other green decorations

-Red puffy paint or fabric paint

-Hot glue gun (*always have an adult’s help when using a hot glue gun!)

-Baking soda

-Vinegar

-Red food coloring

-Squeeze bottle

Directions:

Cut cardboard into two circle shapes. Once circle should be the size of your volcano (ours was around 8 inches in diameter). The other circle should be slightly wider than you’d like your volcano to be. Ours was around 12 inches in diameter. You can trace something round, like a bowl, to create your shapes.

 

Using a hot glue gun, glue your empty spice container into the center of your smaller cardboard circle. Next, scrunch some newspaper or other paper into balls. Glue the paper around the spice container to create the shape of your volcano. 

 

Mix some paper mache paste. Paper mache is a paste made from flour and water. We used ¼ cup of flour and 1 cup of water. Stir the mixture together in a bowl (some lumps of flour may remain, you can stir more as you use it!) and set aside. Take your newspaper and cut or rip it into strips. Strips should be about 1 inch wide and around 6 inches long. 

 

To paper mache your volcano, dip strips of paper into the paste one at a time. Be sure you dip the entire strip in. Use your fingers to gently wipe excess paste off of the paper strip and then place the wet paper strips onto your volcano shape so that they cover the paper. Do not cover the opening of the spice container! Overlap strips as you go and layer as needed. You will want to wrap paper around the edges (at the top and bottom).

If anywhere on your volcano starts to look too wet, just place a dry strip of paper or two in the area to soak up the excess paste. Once the entire volcano is covered, allow it to dry completely, at least overnight. If the paper seems too thin, or you find gaps anywhere, add another layer of paper mache after the first has dried.



Once your paper mache has dried completely, use brown paint to paint the volcano. Use your green paint to paint the large cardboard circle. Allow them both to dry and then use your glue gun to glue to bottom of the volcano onto the green cardboard. 


Lastly, decorate your volcano! We painted some smaller bits of cardboard green and cut them into grass shapes. Bend one end of several green pipe cleaners into a spiral to create a fern. Glue these onto the cardboard base in front of your volcano with hot glue. Add small green bits like pom poms and beads, if you like. Lastly, use your red puffy paint to add some lava to the top of the volcano. Drizzle the paint back and forth around the opening of the volcano, allowing it to move down the sides. Now your volcano is complete!


 

Create a volcanic eruption! (*your volcano will not survive this eruption, since it is made from paper - make sure you have played with it as much as your want before moving on to this step!). To make your volcano erupt, first add a few teaspoons of baking soda into the spice container at the center of your volcano. Next, pour your vinegar into a squeeze bottle and add a few drops of red food coloring. Place your volcano onto a baking sheet or other tray with raised edges (to catch the mess!). Slowly squirt vinegar into the volcano opening and watch it erupt! You can repeat the reaction as many times as you like (add more baking soda if you need to!). 



Emily Limer is a science educator and mom blogger! Follow along with her on Instagram @makingwithmommy

Previous Blog March Holidays 2023