Surprise Ride - Build & Paint a Volcano Science Kit

This was my daughter's (3.5 y/o) favorite Christmas present. She loved putting the volcano together and making it. My only reservation is it is kind of a one-time use toy. I wish it allowed for more uses.

I bought this gift for my nephew. His Mom said he enjoyed making it. It was a really hands-on family activity. It's not the type of gift that one creates more than once. But it was a learning activity that he and his family enjoyed a lot. I would buy it again.

I bought one for a 5 year old and he has used it LOTS. This one was a birthday present for 8 year old who is developmentally challenged. It was well received.

My 5 year-old son loved this volcano project! It was the perfect multi-day project over a weekend when he was a bit sick (but still needed something to do) and we were stuck at home. He was really into it, I did help quite a bit with the build and the plaster. We made the plaster very wet and used a lot of paint, so it took quite a bit of time to dry between steps, which was fine, but would be hard to do in one afternoon. We have erupted the volcano many times outside since and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of making it, but it does fall under the project category, as opposed to a toy you play with often. Highly recommend!

The Build & Paint a Volcano Science Kit has most of the supplies needed for a fun science experiment (minus baking soda and vinegar required for optional eruption). We chose to use our own paints to create more colors for the exterior than what is provided. We also let it dry both times outside and in the sun so I think that sped up the drying process that others have stated took longer. I think the drying time will also depend on how wet your strips are and how thick you apply the paint. My 12 year old and I finished this project in about an hour including drying time. The plaster strips are really hard to handle and to keep from bunching when wet, even as an adult, so we worked together where I wet and held the strips for him to grab with both hands on each end to prevent the bunching issue he was having when trying to dip and apply himself. Once erupted, I don't see re-using it as the liquid will destroy the tissue paper where it inevitably seeps through. Also, the test tube was way

This is a fun and educational project that my 5-year-old grandchild really enjoyed, with assistance. The instructions could be improved to describe use of the included tissue paper to build out the the circumference of the lower portion of the volcano beneath the strips of brown paper. The cutting and application of the plaster strips is indeed messy, as indicated, so be prepared. And despite taking care to squeeze out excess water when applying the plaster strips, the 15 minute drying time stated in the instructions was totally inadequate. Drying overnight, before painting is more realistic. And then a couple of hours paint drying time is needed before letting the lava flow. We added red and yellow food coloring to the vinegar to make orange lava. The enclosed booklet about volcanoes was a nice complement.

I love this activity! I was able to work with my kiddos to complete it & they both learned a lot while having fun. I ended up purchasing again to give as a birthday gift. This is a great option for those looking to spend quality time with their little!

It definitely kept him busy and entertained for the cold afternoon, although it was not extremely difficult to build on his own with very little help. Good quality, fun and inspiring to find out more about lava. All and all good gift idea purchase.

I purchased this as a gift for a 7 year old nephew, who is very interested in volcanoes, and probably a bit more advanced in his play due to an older brother he mimics and learns from. We had fun building the volcano together. We ran short on the pre-plastered strip that comes for the paper mache portion and finished with newspaper and flour since only about half was covered. My nephew was very meticulous about matching the volcano colors when painting so we used our own paints more than the 3 primary colors that come with the kit. He did start mixing to make the colors he wanted but I think lost patience a bit and using our own paint was easier. The kit does not include the ingredients for an eruption - we made a simple one with baking soda and vinegar. In the instructions, it would be useful for directions on how to make your own eruption even without providing the supplies. Colored tabs to make colorful lava might be a good idea too. I wouldn't say this is a toy he plays wit

The kids had fun with it. Only could use it one time so a little expensive for one-time use.

Loads of fun and learning for my three kids (10, 8, 5). We spent an hour making the volcano, painting it and erupting it over and over. The oldest read about volcanos while we made it!

My daughter absolutely loved building and painting the volcano, and I love the science behind the eruption.

It would be awesome if the container to hold the volcano eruption was larger. The current container is too small to make much eruption. The kids were disappointed about that

I wish there would have been more plaster straps. We ran out. Also, we had to supplement with paint of our own to get the finished look that we wanted.

Found there wasnt enough paint to cover the volcano

I bought it for my five year old son and he absolutely LOVED the whole process of putting it together, painting, and then doing the lava. He's been asking to "erupt the volcano" every day since the first time. We the papier-mâché was perfect - just enough included. And the information and the real lava rocks were great! The downsides were: - most notably, the paint. My son wanted his volcano to look as close to the one in the example as possible - but the mountain part of the volcano in the picture was dark brownish-black, and there was no brown or black paint provided. We got red blue and yellow. We were able to mix all three together to make a mountain color CLOSE to the picture but it was more purple/maroon and it left not so much yellow and red paint for the top. Why include blue paint? Why not brown or gray/black? - the length of the tube. I think the width was probably good but if the tube was just a hair bigger the "eruption" experience could have lasted a bit l

The girls had a blast putting this together and erupting the volcano. The novelty begins to wear off after a few uses but the initial excitement was very high!

If you are looking for a fun volcano experiment I would recommend this! We used it a few times but as with most experiments it doesn't have the ability for continuous play. This was not a surprise, It was what I expected a craft and experiment in one.

Such a fun project!! Loved the hands on experience it provided for my 5 year old!

Bought this for my nephew who LOVED painting it and watching it explode. It's a great gift whether for a special occasion or just something to do in quarantine!