purposeful play
Christmas Lava Lamp Science Experiment for Kids
STEM activity for kids
The Christmas Lava Lamp Science Experiment is a magical way to explore Science this Christmas with kids while at home!
Lava Lamp Science Experiments are really simple to make and are an excellent way to keep your kids engaged and learning.
This Christmas Lava Lamp is a festive spin off of the classic lava lamp experiment and is perfect for Preschool, Kindergarten and Elementary aged kids.
The Christmas Lava Lamp STEM activity explores water properties, cause and effect, density and polarity. It’s also a fun way to introduce the scientific method to kids!
purpose
Fascinating and hands-on way to explore science
Explores cause and effect
Hands-on way to explore density and polarity
Safe way to experiment with carbon dioxide
Screen-free fun
Introduces new vocabulary words
Exciting way to explore the scientific method
scientific method
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Ask a question
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Research your question and gather information
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Form a hypothesis
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Conduct experiment to test hypothesis
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Analyze data
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Draw conclusions
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Share results!
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shop this experiment
directions
How to do the Christmas Lava Lamp
Science Experiment with Kids
Fill three mason jars with water (We filled our jars about 1/8 with water)
Fill each jar 3/4 full with baby oil OR vegetable oil
Add several drops of green food coloring to each jar
Add jingle bells to one jar, sprinkles to another and glitter to the third jar
Before you add the Alka-Seltzer talk to your child about the experiment and the items being used
Research and gather information about each component (water, food coloring, oil and alka-seltzer)
After researching and gathering information, ask your child what they think will happen in each jar!
What will happen to the jingle bells, glitter and sprinkles?
What will happen with the food coloring?
What about the oil and water?
Encourage your child to write down their hypotheses for each jar.
Now it’s time to test their hypotheses!
Break the Alka Seltzer Tablets into fourths
Invite your child to drop in a tablet to each jar and watch the magic!
Keep adding Alka Seltzer tablets and watch the magic continue!
Talk about what you see in each jar
Were your child’s hypotheses correct?
What do your observations tell you about the items in each jar?
See below for the scientific explanations
After the water and oil are added to the jar, the oil floats above the water because it is lighter than water (it has a lower density).
The water and oil do not ever mix because of polarity. Water is polar and oil is non-polar.
When the food coloring is added-it shoots through the oil and goes straight to the bottom because it is heavier than oil.
When the tablet is added and dissolves-a gas is created (carbon dioxide).
Carbon dioxide is lighter than water so it floats up to the surface bringing a little of the colored water with it as it does.
Once the gas bubble reaches the surface it breaks and the colored water floats back to the bottom of the jar!
What about the jingle bells, glitter and sprinkles? What happened in your experiment? Did they float up along with the colored water? Did they stay on the bottom of the jar?
Discuss with your child what it means that the glitter and sprinkles floated but the jingle bells did not.
