Ooey, gooey blobs floating up and down! Make a lava lamp at home with a few simple ingredients. My youngest son and I had a blast with this experiment. It really works and making it was easy enough that I did not have to help.
What you need:
Clear jar
Water
Food coloring
Vegetable oil
Salt or sugar
What you do:
Fill the jar about 1/2 to 3/4 full of water.
Add drops of food coloring until you like the color you see.
Pour about an inch or more of vegetable oil on top of the colored water.
Pour salt into the jar until blobs begin to drop through the oil into the water.
When the bubbles stop, simply add more salt to start it up again.
Want to make it extra special?
Shine a flashlight through the jar to watch it glow. Or add glitter to the water to add sparkles. Better yet, add glitter AND shine a flashlight through it while watching it in the dark!
Why it works:
The lamp’s “lava” is science. Oil is lighter than water, so it rises to the surface. Salt is heavier than water, so it sinks to the bottom. Blobs of oil stick to the salt as it sinks. When the salt dissolves, the lighter oil floats back up to the top. A gooey science show just for you!
Watch it in action:
