Nadia's Volcano

Nadia stood next to her poster at the school science fair. Her project was a model of a volcano, and it had taken her two weeks to build.

“First, I made the mountain from old newspaper and glue,” she told a teacher. “Then I painted it brown and grey. Finally, I put a small cup inside the top.”

The teacher looked at the cup. “And what does the cup contain?”

“Baking soda. The chemistry happens when I add vinegar. The two mix, and the volcano makes foam.”

A small crowd came to watch. Nadia poured the vinegar in. For a moment, nothing happened. Then red foam rose up and ran down the side of the mountain. The newspaper was now covered in it.

The children clapped. One boy asked if he could try.

“Sure,” Nadia said, “but it’s my last cup of soda. After this, the volcano is finished for today.”

A judge wrote something on her sheet. Nadia did not win first place; another student’s robot achieved that. But the judge stopped on her way out.

“You explained every step clearly,” she said. “That’s the real science. The foam is just the fun part.”

Nadia smiled. The foam was drying on the table, but she would compete again next year.