Of all the science experiments that we have done at home, anything that erupts are our favourite. Mostly because it’s fun to see how two different chemicals or elements react together. This lava lamp experiment will keep the kids mesmerized and entertained for ages.
Who would have thought that oil and water would have a cool reaction together? Or mixing vinegar and baking soda together would cause an eruption?
Check out our post on erupting volcanoes! Another fun way to learn about chemicals reacting.
Simple Science
Our Lava Lamp experiment was just as fun and so simple. All we used was;
- Vegetable Oil
- Coloured Water (water with food colour)
- A Denture Tablet!
- Some glasses (something see through)
*You can also use an Alka-Seltzer for the same reaction. We didn’t have any so we tried a denture tablet! It worked just as good. 😍
Start by filling your glass 3/4 full with vegetable oil. You can fill it halfway if you are worried it will overflow.
You will be adding water to the glass too so you will need to leave some room.
Next mix some food colour into a cup/jug of water. Not too much just enough to put into the glass of oil. Then pour the coloured water into the glass of oil.
Meanwhile break up your tablet/alka-seltzer into 3-4 pieces. You don’t have to wait for the water to settle. You can go ahead and throw the pieces of tablet into the glass whenever your ready. My kids couldn’t wait lol. 😆
The tablet started creating bubbles between the oil and the water. It didn’t erupt but as we watched it through the glass, we did see some ‘erupting’ going on where the bubbles were forming. Hence where the name comes from. They looked just like little lava lamps!
It really was cool to watch! The pictures do not do it justice. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW to see for yourself.
My daughter wanted to see what would happen if you stirred it once the bubbles had settled.
The oil created bubbles again then it settled and kept the water and oil separated as before.
*I will point out that doing this experiment in a different really made a difference. We found that when we added the water first, it didn’t have the same effect and it was a bit disappointing. Then we tried it again adding the oil first and we had a totally different outcome.
Fun Lava Lamp Experiment that can incorporated into science!
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