I can remember being a kid and wanting a lava lamp SO BADLY. Well, do we have another segment of easy crafts for kids for you: now your kids can make their own (temporary) lava lamp in the name of science! Trust us, it’s better this way… as soon as I received my lava lamp it was cool for about a month, then I just plum forgot it existed. Then I think the next year it was sold at our garage sale. C’est la vie! Now while there actually isn’t any light being emitted from these lamps, your kids will get that lava lamp feel – while learning at the same time! Science meets crafts meets satisfying the urge to buy a lava lamp – we hope:

 

You’ll Need:

  • 1 liter bottle (tip: for a fun two-toned flair, use a colored bottle)
  • Vegetable oil
  • Water
  • Funnel
  • Food coloring
  • Alka-Seltzer tablets

 

Directions

  1. Fill a plastic bottle half-full with oil
  2. Fill the remaining half with water.
  3. Notice that as the water separates it will slowly sink to the bottom
  4. Add about 15 drops of food coloring
  5. Cut an Alka-Seltzer tablet into quarters.
  6. Drop one piece of Alka-Seltzer into the bottle and watch science unfold!
  7. In order to get the “lava-lamp” effect, you keep adding pieces of Alka-Seltzer to the bottle every 30 seconds or so.

 

ItsySparks
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