Glitter Lava Lamp: Oil and Water Experiment

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 Ages: 6-10

Objective: Engage children in an exciting and colorful experiment to explore the interaction between oil and water while creating their own mesmerizing "lava lamp" effect.

Materials Needed:

  1. Clear plastic bottle or jar with a lid
  2. Water
  3. Vegetable oil or baby oil
  4. Alka-Seltzer tablets (or any effervescent antacid tablets)
  5. Liquid food coloring (assorted colors)
  6. Glitter (optional for extra sparkle)

Procedure:

  1. Fill the clear plastic bottle or jar about one-third full with water.

  2. Add a few drops of liquid food coloring to the water, using a variety of colors to create a vibrant effect.

  3. Optional: Sprinkle glitter into the water for extra sparkle and visual interest.

  4. Fill the rest of the bottle or jar with vegetable oil or baby oil, leaving a small gap at the top to allow for bubbling.

  5. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into smaller pieces or halves.

  6. Drop one piece of the Alka-Seltzer tablet into the bottle or jar and quickly screw on the lid.

  7. Observe as the Alka-Seltzer reacts with the water, creating bubbles that rise through the oil and carry droplets of colored water with them, resembling a lava lamp.

  8. When the bubbling stops, add another piece of Alka-Seltzer to continue the lava lamp effect.

Explanation:

  • The Glitter Lava Lamp experiment demonstrates the principle of density and the interaction between oil and water, which do not mix due to differences in density and polarity.
  • When the Alka-Seltzer tablet reacts with the water, it produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles. These bubbles rise through the oil, carrying droplets of colored water with them. When the bubbles reach the top of the oil layer, they pop, and the colored water droplets fall back down, creating a mesmerizing lava lamp effect.

Extensions:

  1. Encourage children to experiment with different ratios of water and oil to see how it affects the bubbling and lava lamp effect.
  2. Discuss with children the science behind density and polarity, using the experiment as a visual aid.
  3. Explore other variations of the experiment, such as using different types of oil or adding more colors to create different lava lamp designs.
  4. Challenge kids to create hypotheses and conduct experiments to test how factors such as the size of the Alka-Seltzer tablet pieces or the temperature of the water affect the bubbling and movement.
  5. Host a "lava lamp party" where children can create their own glitter lava lamps and share their observations and discoveries with each other.

Safety Note:

  • Remind children not to ingest any of the materials used in the experiment. Supervise younger children closely to ensure they handle the Alka-Seltzer tablets and other materials safely and avoid spills

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