You've probably heard of the popular Mentos and diet soda volcano experiment. If not, here's your warning: Play this game outdoors. You're welcome.
Like most Minute to Win It games the concept here is simple. Whether or not you can master it easily is a completely different story.
The Goal
The goal in Volcano, in addition to "make a huge mess," is to get your soda bottle volcano to errupt by dropping a mint into the bottle from a platform. Accomplish this in a minute or less and you win. It's really that simple.
Equipment Needed
- Mint candies (Mentos mints work well and are the right size for the bottle opening)
- Full two-liter bottle of diet soda*
- Something sturdy to use as a platform**
- Small table or stand to hold the candy
- Plenty of paper towels
*Note: You can use any kind of carbonated beverage for this game. Using a diet product means that there's no sugar involved, which also means the resulting mess will be less sticky. Again, you're welcome.
** Your platform doesn't have to be large - one or two feet in elevation is fine. Just make sure it's large and sturdy enough that no one will topple off.
How to Play
Place the table or stand near the platform so that the candies are easy to reach during game play for the person on the platform. The contestant stands on the platform with the open (yet full) bottle of soda on the ground beneath him or her. When the one-minute timer begins, start dropping mints, one at a time, to try and get one to fall into the open mouth of the bottle.
You'll know instantly when the contestant is successful, as the soda will begin to foam and then shoot out of the bottle with a volcano effect. Hence the name of the game.
The Rules
Yes, even with a game as simple as this one, there are a couple of rules to follow.
- You may only drop one mint at a time. The dropped mint must be completely released (and in the air, on the ground, or in the bottle) before the next one can be dropped.
- If a candy has been released and is in motion when the timer stops, that mint is still in play and will count if it hits the target. We're talking fractions of seconds here, but if you're going head-to-head then these things come up occasionally.
Tips and Tricks
There's no real trick to this game. Keep in mind that the mints are only slightly smaller than the mouth of the bottle, so it's pretty tricky. Practice as much as you can, but use an empty bottle (or one filled with water) to avoid spillage and waste.
The blueprint with video instructions for this game can be found at NBC.com.
Adjustments, Adaptations, and Fun Stuff
You can take the basic format of this game and change it up to suit your party, gathering, or event. Just about any theme or holiday can be adapted easily by decorating the soda bottle with stickers or other embellishments, and consider decorating the platform and table as well.
Playing Volcano outdoors is recommended, and if you want to give it a really cool spin, check out these instructions to make the volcano glow in the dark.
For young kids, eliminate the platform all together and use smaller mints. This gives them a better chance at actually hitting the target. Of course you might also want to consider using club soda or another clear beverage as well, since it'll get pretty messy.
