Water Bottle Lava Lamps (Grades K-5)

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

1. Gather all of your materials.
2. Have a clean workspace and room to clean up spills. 
3. Use a permanent marker to label each bottle: tap water (control), ice water, hot water.
4. Create a funnel for each water bottle with the paper. Cut each cone funnel in half.
5. Start with the tap water. Add ½ cup water.
6. Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of green food coloring to the tap water bottle. Replace the cone.
7. Add 1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil to the tap water bottle. 
8. Take 1 Alka-Seltzer tab and break it up into quarters. You will start with 1 quarter and add it to the bottle. 
9. Record observations in your data table.
10. Next, use the ice water container. Add ½ cup ice water to the bottle.
11. Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of blue food coloring to the ice water bottle. Replace the cone.
12. Add 1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil to the ice water bottle.
13. Add a quarter tab of Alka-Seltzer to the ice water bottle and record observations.
14. Finally, use the hot water container. Add ½ cup of hot water to the bottle.
15. Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of red food coloring to the hot water bottle. Replace the cone.
16. Add 1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil to the hot water bottle.
17. Add a quarter tab of Alka-Seltzer to the hot water bottle.
18. 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

1. Gather all of your materials.
2. Have a clean workspace and room to clean up spills. 
3. Use a permanent marker to label each bottle: tap water (control), ice water, hot water.
4. Create a funnel for each water bottle with the paper. Cut each cone funnel in half.
5. Start with the tap water. Add 1 ¼  cups water.
6. Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of green food coloring to the tap water bottle. Replace the cone.
7. Add ½  cup of vegetable oil to the tap water bottle. 
8. Pour salt into the water bottle until it covers the base. 
9. Record observations in your data table. 
10. Next, use the ice water container. Add 1 ¼  cups ice water to the bottle.
11. Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of blue food coloring to the ice water bottle. Replace the cone.
12. Add ½  cup of vegetable oil to the ice water bottle.
13. Pour salt into the water bottle until it covers the base of the ice water bottle and record observations. 
14. Finally, use the hot water container. Add 1 ¼  cups of hot water to the bottle.
15. Remove the funnel and add 5 drops of red food coloring to the hot water bottle. Replace the cone.
16.  Add ½  cup of vegetable oil to the hot water bottle.
17. Pour salt into the water bottle until it covers the base of the hot water bottle.
18. Record observations in your data table, scientist!