National Geographic JM80204 Explorer Science Earth Kit

Such an excellent kit! Educational AND fun! Explains to kids why volcanoes exist, the types we have and what happens if they go bang!All good but there are some tips to avoid problems and ultimately enjoy the experience more. This is based on my own experiences and that of others.Put tape around the plastic mould halves to prevent it from opening or leaking. Some plaster may still escape but only a little. The plaster to water ratio could do with being thicker so once filled, leave the mould in a warm area for 1-2 hours before taking apart - just to be on the safe side.Don't wait 1-2 days for the mould to dry - bake it in the oven at 200 deg C for at least an hour. This will avoid the soft and brittle end result that people have complained about. Once cooled, paint and make sure it's dry before moving to the eruption fun!To add to the spewing effect, put half a Tbsp of powder in, add some dish soap followed by the remaining half Tbsp of mixture. Then add the water very slowly, a bit at a time. The info says to use a "cup" of water. It's not clear if this is a cup 'measure' or just a cup. Half a cup 'measure' is enough before the spewing starts to slow to a stop.Enjoy!

Excellent volcano kit -very clear and easy instructions, the kids loved painting it and the volcanic eruption worked! Great info/educational booklet about volcanoes -my son (6yo but a good reader) was inspired to read the whole booklet himself and loved the specimens of real volcanic rocks too. Great product and would be suitable for a wide range of ages as there's different aspects of it to enjoy and they can have more/less help depending on their age.

As stated in other reviews the volcano mould is terrible. If you make the plaster exactly to the recipe stated it just all pours out of the bottom. Either add less water or add a small amount of the mixture to allow it to run through the bottom and seal the plug. I was expecting it to be bad as the moulds in these types of sets are always just cheap bits of plastic with gaps that let the mixture out, but this one was the worst I've experienced. Some nice volcanic rocks were included in the set and it comes with paints and chemicals to do the eruptions. Another small thing that slightly irritated me was that the manual came with a glossy translation booklet printed in other languages, which is nice as non-English speakers can use the set too, but I just had to put this straight in my recycling bin - such a waste.

Bought this as a stocking filler for my granddaughter (aged 4) as she is obsessed with volcanos and hot larva, she had great fun making and painting the volcano and then causing the eruption - in her words ‘thank you Santa, best present ever’, it can be a bit messy so be prepared and having read some other reviews I did put sellotape along the joins of the mould to minimise leakage. We’ve yet to try using bicarb and vinegar but well worth every penny

I brought this set for my daughter’s 8th birthday as she loves science and in particular rocks. She asked for this set for her birthday, to compliment the fossil set she asked for. The two go nicely together, and the set looks educational, easy to use and a lot of messy fun.

Whilst the product was as advertised, the lack of packaging was amazing. The product was delivered as shown on the website, with just the addition of 2 big labels stuck to the front of the product! It took me almost 1 hour to carefully remove the labels and the sticky residue left behind! Considering we are coming up to Christmas and the product is aimed at children, it doesn’t take a Volcanologist to work out sticking labels onto the front of the product is a good decision.Shame on you Amazon!

Shame, as product seems fine but the postage sticker was stuck directly to the product box- this was supposed to be a gift for a child but now has my name and address stuck to it. Tried to remove but left mess/residue.

Bought for my son's birthday and he absolutely adored it!! We made the volcano and dried it out in the oven as kids are not the most patient. From mixing the plaster to the actual volcano, it was loads of fun. The fact that we get to do it twice is amazing as kits like this is usually only the once