Simone, from Anglesey, North Wales, has shown us how to do this fun and easy experiment for the whole family to enjoy.
How did you make the Lava Lamps?
One great thing about this science experiment is that you only need a few items and your probably already have most of them in your Kitchen.
IMPORTANT: Adult supervision is required at all times for this experiment. Children must not put the tablets in their mouth.
What you need:
- Water
- Oil (we used sunflower oil)
- Food colouring
- Soluble tablet (eg Alka seltzer)
- Plastic (or glass) bottle
Now the fun part: 😃
- Pour about 100ml of water depending on the size of your container
- Add a few drops of food colouring and stir (younger children will love this part)
- Pour in the oil leaving some space at the top
- Let the children break up the tablet and take turns adding pieces at a time or add whole one at a time.
This Lava lamps experiment is sure to WOW your child/children!
How this experiment works
The water and oil do not mix and the oil doesn’t change colour because the food colouring is water-soluble. The Alka Seltzer reacts with the water to make bubbles of carbon dioxide. The bubbles attach themselves to the blobs of coloured water and bring them to the top of the glass. When the bubbles pop, the blobs of coloured water fall back to the bottom of the glass.
Tell the Housebound With Kids community a bit about yourself…
I’m Simone I live on Anglesey with my three children (aged 12, 9 and 7), my partner and our seven-month-old Labrador DeeJay.
I joined housebound with kids a while ago now it’s nice to have the interaction with other parents during lockdown and get some ideas of fun things to do at home and in the garden. We are all in this together.
My daughters and I (who are age 7 and 9) have also painted some rocks and shells we had collected before lockdown with acrylic paint and pens and put them outside they look lovely and really brighten up the place. 🌈
