SciencePreschoolers66 Comments
Make a lava lamp with your preschooler, and your preschooler will love science experiments!
Lava lamps are simple to make. Like crazy easy.
My kids love experimenting! And I love watching them discover the world through science and creativity.
Easy DIY Lava Lamp Science Experiment for Kids
Even I was shocked at what a big hit this easy DIY lava lamp science experiment was with the boys. Just 5 simple supplies are all you need to DIY your own!
To DIY your own lava lamp science experiment, you’ll needL
- Vegetable oil (or get a clear oil)
- Water
- Food coloring of your choice
- Alka-Seltzer Tablets (as many as you choose, the more the merrier!)
- Clear container (the taller and skinnier, the better the effect)
Don’t have Alka Seltzer? See how to make a lava lamp without Alka Seltzer!
4 Simple Steps to Science Fun & Fizzies
- Fill the container with 2 parts oil, 1 part water, leaving some room at the top of the container for a little bit of bubbling
- Drop in a few drops of food coloring
- Add an Alka-Selzer Tablet, start with 1/4 or a half a tablet to begin with
- Watch is fizz and bubble up to the top!
We did three containers of lava lamps. Three different colors, for triple the lava fun!
It took a lot of oil, though. I wish I had more on hand because I didn’t quite have 2/3 for each container.
The oil is essentially the lava lamp portion, so it would have been nice to have more of it. But it still worked!
I also wish I had clear oil on hand instead of vegetable oil. But I’m not sure what kind of oil besides baby oil is clear. Any suggestions?
Henry dropped in tablet after tablet. Over and over, watching it bubble up!
He used the entire box of Alka-Selzer just for this experiment!
The green one really captured his attention.
Maybe because it’s his favorite color. Or maybe because it was the tallest and skinniest, so it had the best reactions.
Have more colorful science fun with an easy magic milk experiment!
It was even interesting from the top of the bottles. Or, at least Henry thought so.
Once we were starting to run out of Alka-Selzer tablets, we started combining the colors and making them bubble together.
We were surprised to see that the colored bubbled remained separate!
Instead of red bubbles mixing with blue bubbles to make purple, everything stayed red or blue. Cool, huh?!?!
Can you see the little red ones in the mix of the big blue bubbles?
We tend to do a lot of science in our house, with tons of easy experiments happening all the time.
The boys love anything that fizzes and bubbles. We also really like this baking soda and colored vinegar science experiment for kids.
What’s your favorite science experiment to do with the kids? Share your ideas in the comments!
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Chris says
Since oil and water separate, you can actually save the oil and use it for future lava lamps. Also, I recommend Alka Seltzer Gold, which has no aspirin.
Pedro walker says
Lava lamp
PeoplePerProjectCom says
There are a few different options for making your lava lamp so you can pick the option that works best with your readily available supplies, but let s start with a complete supply list for all the different options. Then you can try them all and see what works best for you!
Elsabe Kruger says
Great idea, thank you! Avocado oil is totally clear!
Ivy Bell says
I use mineral oil as a good clear, colorless oil. Find it in the pharmacy department.
June says
Baby Oil is made of just mineral oil and fragrance. So, mineral oil is just fragrance-free baby oil.
Aleigha says
What would the age group for the children for this project?
Jamie Reimer says
I think anywhere from 2 on up can take part in it Aleigha. Just depends on how much you want them to take part. Little kids can just drop the tablet in – that’s the fun part!
abbiee says
the ocean waves in a bottle….love that one…
Veronica says
Would like to try this out, but wondering what do you do with it when the kids are done playing with it? Can you use baby oil instead of cooking oil?
Jamie Reimer says
Veronica — discard it just like you would the grease from meat that you brown. Yes, you can use baby oil – that would actually have a better look because its clear.
Jane says
So in love with this idea. We’ll try coconut oil, there are bunch of them in Thailand. ^^
MARIEL says
IT DIDNT WORK.
Jamie Reimer says
Hmmm.. well that’s a bummer Mariel! How come it didn’t work?
Elle says
Just a quick question how and where to dispose of the experiment when done?
Heather says
You asked about alternative CLEAR OIL to use. I was a teacher of toddlers and preschoolers. MINERAL OIL is clear, cheap, and works. You can find it in pharmacy sections of stores where the laxatives are found. It is meant for possible ingestion so if accidentally swallowed or comes in contact with little mouths.. it is ok… Hope this helps.
Jamie Reimer says
Thanks Heather! I’ll grab some when I get the Alka-Selzers again! That’s easy enough!
Wendy says
Greta idea – looks like so much fun! I can’t wait to try it with my grandchildren! I found bulk white, food grade mineral oil online for only $13.97 for 7 1/2 lbs – and they had even larger, as well. Might be worth the effort for continued explorations!
gemma chadwick says
I’m sure that Safflower oil (can get in most larger supermarkets) is almost water like in colour bit more expensive than vegetable oil but effects would be great x
Haylie says
can you use a pop bottle so you can have a lid?
Amanda says
Try it with neon food coloring, turn off the lights and then sit the bottle (we use water bottles) on top of a flashlight! Very cool effect. Don’t put the lid back on though until you are through bc it’ll stop your fizzy action. :). We also discovered that the less you shake it, the cooler it looks.
Jamie Reimer says
Oh very cool. Definitely going on our to do list.
Jen smith says
Coconut oil is clear. If you get the one that melts at a lower temp it should work great. I have a 70 or 75 degree one that never gets solid unless I put it in the fridge. :) this is a cute idea!
Jamie Reimer says
Great tip Jen! Never thought of Coconut oil!
Amy says
I have done this for years, but without the Alka Seltzer (very cool addition). This is great to do in empty water bottles, and you can glue the lid shut. My daughter loved this as a baby and still loves her “wave bottle” as a toddler. I can’t wait to do it again as a science project with the Alka Seltzer!
Jamie Reimer says
Love the simplified version as a sensory bottle for toddlers Amy!
Inez19 says
Can I use small plastic soda bottles or the liter size ones?
Jamie Reimer says
Inez, I think either would work just fine, just change up the amounts accordingly.
Kaylee says
Great project! I had a question…does it really matter what material the bottles are? I’m planning on doing this with my preschool class, and I’m debating whether to stock up on glass bottles/containers, or if I can get away with plastic. Thanks!
Jamie Reimer says
Oh, I think plastic would work just fine. As long as they’re clear. And taller, skinnier bottles work best!
Amy says
This looks amazing! My daughter is constantly asking for more science projects and I think she will love this. :)
Joie says
Just did this with my kids. They loved it! Thanks!
blackpaws says
Thanks for this! Emily loved this experiment and like your Henry she kept looking from the top of the bottle to watch the reaction.
I used aspro clear and baby oil so not sure if that is why we had mostly little bubbles of lava but still fun to watch. Emily kept wanting to add more and to shake.
http://blackpaws.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/more-l-craft/
Oh, How Happy We Are says
Very cool.
Charlotte: says
Oh yeah, we need to do this! I have such a mental block when it comes to science-y things but I think this looks ace
Amanda says
Wonderful idea! Can't wait to try this out with my little guy.
Ellie says
Great idea, I love the bright colours you made.
Ellie
Science Sparks says
Oh lava lamps are fab! it was one of our first experiments! Yours are so colourful. Brilliant!
Thanks for linking to science sparks fun sparks!
The Iowa Farmer's Wife says
this is so neat! I'm buying alka selzer today! :) I have a huge bottle of vegetable oil I need to use up. Mineral oil is also clear, but I've only seen it in small bottles. I'm sure it comes larger though!
Jill @ A Mom With A Lesson Plan says
One of my goals for this year is to get over my fear of science! This one would be awesome… and easy!
Jamie @ hands on : as we grow says
@Rosie – as long as you have Alka Seltzer Tablets, you can keep adding to it! The vinegar/water will stay good for as long as you want!
rosie says
how long does it last? do you have to throw it away after ur done?
Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says
Great post! I love that your ad above is advertising real lava lamps!
Raising a Happy Child says
It was on my "to do" list for a long time! So pretty.
Chrissy @ The Outlaw Mom Blog says
My kids will absolutely love this! Can't wait to try it!
Anna @ The Imagination Tree says
gorgeous pics!! definitely on our to-do list!
Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas says
aww, thanks for mentioning us! What fabulous photos you got of the reactions!
Also I found that the cheaper ($$$) the oil the clearer it was. I got a cheapy, cheapy one and it was not as yellow and worked perfectly – just a tip to test for next time!
Cerys @ Rainy Day Mum says
This looks a lot of fun will try it when J is a little bit older I think