Make Your Own Lava Lamp

Did everyone enjoy Mother’s Day weekend? I sure did! Our weekend was filled with long days in the sun, four-wheeler rides, family meals, bike-riding and bubbles. I know I’ve been complaining about the weather the past couple months, but this weekend was absolutely beautiful. Now that spring has finally arrived, the entire family is eager to spend every possible second. . . outside.

Today I’m going to show you how to make your own Lava Lamp! This is a great outside project and one the kids are sure to enjoy. I ran across this post from S.L. Smith Photography and knew this was something I had to try with the kids. I changed the project up just slightly and used baby oil in place of vegetable oil so the lamps remained clear instead of yellow. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

Materials:

• Water bottle (I used a glass Voss water bottle I found at Walmart)
• Baby oil or Vegetable oil
• Water
• Food coloring (10 drops)
• Antacid tablets (I used the generic form of Alka Seltzer)

You want to begin with the empty water bottle and fill it 3/4 full with baby oil or vegetable oil.

Then take some water and fill it up the rest of the way – leaving about an inch at the top.

Here’s the fun part! Add your food coloring. We used neon because we love the bright colors.

Break one of the antacid tablets into quarters.

Here’s where the big brother comes and takes the tablets to try the project out first. Will they ever learn the concept of sharing and taking turns? Of course they will, but it’s still a bit rough right now. We’re working through it!

Drop one of the pieces of the tablet into the bottle. Only drop one at a time or the water will get very cloudy and you will be at risk for an eruption. When children are around, this is bound to happen so as I said before – this is a great OUTDOOR project. Be ready for your lava lamp to turn into a volcano in the blink of an eye.

Here it comes!

All the commotion got the attention of the neighbor girls and they needed to try it too!

Whenever you’re dropping the tablets into the bottle, keep the cover off – otherwise the pressure inside the bottle won’t have anywhere to escape and the bottle could burst. Not a good idea. I would recommend supervision during the project especially with smaller children.

If you’re wondering how many times you can keep dropping tablets in, we had to have dropped at least 10 or so, and the oil mixture continued to return to its original clarity.

Once you’re done with the tablets, you can put the cover back on and play with it more by tipping it upside down and then right-side up again to watch the bubbles suspended in the liquid slowly drop to the bottom. Have fun trying this out on your own!