Follow these directions to make your own far out lava lamp!
Have you ever seen a lava lamp? The blobs seem to just float up and down inside. Have you ever wondered how they work? Today you can make your own version!
What is a lava lamp?
Watch this video from the Science Channel on how they make them:
The materials move around in a lava lamp because they have different densities. The less dense material moves to the top and the more dense material sinks down.
Alka-Seltzer Lava Lamp
What You Need
- Container of vegetable oil
- Paper towels
- 3 empty water bottles
- Alka-Seltzer tablets (2 packs)
- Permanent marker
- Hot water (ask an adult for help)
- Food coloring
- Scissors
- Cold water with ice cubes
- Measuring cups (1c, ½ c & ¼ c)
- 3 pieces of white paper
- Tap water
What To Do
- Gather all of your materials.
- Have a clean workspace and room to clean up spills.
- Use a permanent marker to label each bottle: tap water (control), ice water, hot water.
- Create a funnel for each water bottle with the paper. Cut each cone funnel in half.
- Start with the tap water. Add ½ cup water.
- Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of green food coloring to the tap water bottle. Replace the cone.
- Add 1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil to the tap water bottle.
- Take 1 Alka-Seltzer tab and break it up into quarters. You will start with 1 quarter and add it to the bottle.
- Record observations in your data table.
- Next, use the ice water container. Add ½ cup ice water to the bottle.
- Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of blue food coloring to the ice water bottle. Replace the cone.
- Add 1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil to the ice water bottle.
- Add a quarter tab of Alka-Seltzer to the ice water bottle and record observations.
- Finally, use the hot water container. Add ½ cup of hot water to the bottle.
- Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of red food coloring to the hot water bottle. Replace the cone.
- Add 1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil to the hot water bottle.
- Add a quarter tab of Alka-Seltzer to the hot water bottle.
- Record observations in your data table, scientist!
Setup 2: Salt Lava Lamp
Don’t have Alka-Seltzer tablets at home? You can create different lava lamps without them!
Watch this video on how to make a lava lamp from salt.
What You Need
- Container of vegetable oil
- Paper towels
- 3 empty water bottles
- Table salt
- Permanent marker
- Hot water (ask an adult for help)
- Food coloring
- Scissors
- Cold water with ice cubes
- Measuring cups (1c, ½ c & ¼ c)
- 3 Pieces of white paper
- Tap water
What To Do
- Gather all of your materials.
- Have a clean workspace and room to clean up spills.
- Use a permanent marker to label each bottle: tap water (control), ice water, hot water.
- Create a funnel for each water bottle with the paper. Cut each cone funnel in half.
- Start with the tap water. Add 1 ¼ cups water.
- Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of green food coloring to the tap water bottle. Replace the cone.
- Add ½ cup of vegetable oil to the tap water bottle.
- Pour salt into the water bottle until it covers the base.
- Record observations in your data table.
- Next, use the ice water container. Add 1 ¼ cups ice water to the bottle.
- Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of blue food coloring to the ice water bottle. Replace the cone.
- Add ½ cup of vegetable oil to the ice water bottle.
- Pour salt into the water bottle until it covers the base of the ice water bottle and record observations.
- Finally, use the hot water container. Add 1 ¼ cups of hot water to the bottle.
- Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of red food coloring to the hot water bottle. Replace the cone.
- Add ½ cup of vegetable oil to the hot water bottle.
- Pour salt into the water bottle until it covers the base of the hot water bottle.
- Record observations in your data table, scientist!
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