Make Your Own Lava Lamp
What you need:
A glass jar, bottle or beaker
Water
Baking soda
Food colouring
Cooking oil (as clear as possible)
Vinegar
Did you give it a go?
Did you try making your own lava lamp? Send us a photo and you’ll go into the draw to win a mystery “Upstart DIYer” prizes.
What to do:
Add four tablespoons of baking soda to your glass container.
Quarter fill your container with water and stir to mix the baking soda and water.
Add 3-4 drops of food colouring.
Add oil until your container is three quarters full.
To reveal the reaction, add one tablespoon of vinegar and stir.
What we learn:
Water and oil do not mix. Because water is denser than oil, it will always sit on the bottom of the container.
The oil doesn’t change colour because the food colouring is water soluble.
Vinegar and baking soda react to make bubbles of carbon dioxide.
The bubbles attach themselves to the coloured water and bring them to the top of the container. When the bubbles pop, the coloured water fall back to the bottom of the container.