Fireworks In A Jar

The Experiment

Start by filling a clear cup 2/3 full with water. The colder the water the better! (The water temperature makes a difference for how the food coloring reacts.

Next, add a layer of oil. I used vegetable oil, but any oil will work. Encourage children to watch what happens as the oil is poured in.

Does it fall to the bottom? Does it mix with the water or float to the top?

Kids are excited to notice that the oil sits on top of the water. Although, water and oil are both liquids, they behave in different ways and have different properties.

Next, add a few drops of food coloring to the oil. You will immediately notice that the coloring remains separate from the oil. It does not mix into the oil at all.

Extension

Slowly drop in the food coloring a drop or two at a time – just like a ‘real scientist’.

You can use one or many different colors. If you use two colors, children will love watching as their two colors meet, such as red and blue, and begin to change the color of the water to purple.

This is easy science for kids that they can do largely independently.

As an extension activity, I filled a clear container with oil (no water). Baby oil is best because it is clear, but any oil will work. I then added a variety of colors of food coloring and stirred them around.

They won’t mix with the oil, but they do separate into lots of little blobs.

Next, I added an antacid tablet. The result was awesome! It created what looked like a lava lamp. The colors never mix into the oil so they simply bounce up and back down, over and over again.