Want to learn how to make a DIY Lava Lamp? This fun science activity is educational as well as fun for your kids!

Today we have a fun hands-on science experiment you can do with your kids. This is great for a homeschool lesson or maybe a summer activity that prevents that dreaded “brain drain” that kids can get over the holidays. It involves making your own lava lamp using household materials you probably already have.

{We also have a fun Puffy Paint Earth science activity your kids will love! And check out all of our science posts.}

DIY Lava Lamp Activity

Supplies:

Oil (any type)
Water
Liquid or gel food coloring
Alka Seltzer tablets
Large jar

Instructions:

Fill the jar halfway with oil. We used vegetable oil so you have a yellow tint. You can use baby oil for a more transparent look to your DIY lava lamp.

Add water to the jar until it the liquid is about 1-2 inches from the top. The water will sink into the oil, creating fun bubbles.

Add several drops of food coloring and watch it float to the middle and then pop into the water.

Drop an Alka Seltzer tablet into to the jar and watch the bubbles move like lava in a lava lamp.

Repeat as desired, experimenting with adding colors and/or breaking the tablet into pieces before dropping it into the jar.

*If you’re looking for even more fun DIY projects, try making a DIY volcano with your kids!

How Does This Science Experiment Work?

Making a DIY Lava Lamp is a great way to reinforce your child’s knowledge about chemical reactions. Oil and water do not mix, so they will remain two different states of matter when combined in a jar. The food coloring will mix into the water because it is water soluble, so the oil stays transparent.

When the Alka Seltzer tablets is added, it reacts with the water to form carbon dioxide bubbles within the jar. The gas bubbles cling to the blobs of colored water and bring them to the top of the jar. When the bubbles pop at the top, the colored water then slowly sinks back down through the oil.