Last summer I came across a very cool science experiment for Fireworks in a Jar on one of my favorite blogs I Can Teach My Child. I have found the most wonderful educational activities and crafts for kids on that site, so you’ll want to check it out if you haven’t already. That experiment has been stuck in the back of my head ever since, and with all the fun 4th of July crafts we’ve been doing this week, I thought it only fitting to include something we can learn from. This seemed like the perfect project!
This is a very simple science experiment to do with your child, and you most likely have everything in your cupboard to do it. You will need warm water, vegetable oil and food coloring.
Fill your jar with warm water.
In a separate bowl, mix 3 – 4 tablespoons of oil and several drops of different colors of food coloring. We used red, blue, yellow and green. Use a fork to gently mix the oil and food coloring together.
Pour the oil mixture into the jar of warm water.
Watch the explosion of color as the food coloring slowly sinks out of the oil and into the water. Be ready, because it is over in just a few minutes as it continues to expand and mix.
What’s the science? Food coloring dissolves in water but not oil. The less dense oil will sit at the top of the water, and the food coloring with begin to sink because the droplets are heavier than the oil. As the food coloring dissolves in the water it will look like a colorful fireworks show right in the jar!
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I’m going to have to try this, my kids would love to do this!
Thanks for sharing!
My boys would love this! It will definitely make it onto our experiment list!
What a clever experiment! My granddaughter is going to love this! Thank you!
My son will love this! Thanks for posting!
Adding words. It’s a really nice mixture of fun, creativity/crafts and science!
My son will love this it will not only satisfy his curious nature but can teach him some science while we are at it.
This is a cheap and fun thing to explore with my sons. I will check out that website for other ideas as well. Thank you.
I love doing these things with my kids. My Daughter and I as one of her GS Brownie Projects, we did the density experiment and made an egg float in a glass of water. It was really awesome. My kids will definitely enjoy this, I think I will too!
This is pretty cool and I bet my daughter would really enjoy this. I like how easy it is to do.