I am a member of the Sylvan EDGEucation squad and this is a partnered post. All opinions are my own.
My science classes in elementary school were boring; filled with basic facts. Scattered throughout the lessons were a few stories of pioneers in the science fields. We learned the stories of Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin and George Washington Carver. One thing we never learned were stories of famous women in science; like Rosalind Franklin, who was responsible for much of the research and discovery work that led to the understanding of the structure of DNA, or Esther Lederberg, a pioneer in the field of bacterial genetics. In honor of Women’s History month, I’ve shared a fun experiment to do with the kids; making a DIY Glow in the Dark Lava Lamp.
To create this experiment you’ll need; an empty bottle (preferably a 1 liter soda bottle), vegetable oil (or baby oil, if you prefer), glow in the dark paint (or use glow sticks), distilled water, and fizzing antacid tablets. If you have a funnel, it will make pouring the oil into the bottle easier.
To make the lamp: Pour the oil into the bottle. Add 1 cup of distilled water and shake gently. Break an antacid tablet into four pieces. Drop one piece into the oil mixture. Add drops of glow in the dark paint until you achieve the level of color you want. OR-to use glow sticks- cut open the glow sticks with a knife and drop mixture into the water/oil mixture. Close the lid on the bottle and allow to fizz. Once the fizzing stops you can add another antacid piece or allow the kids to shake the bottle to create motion.
Did you know students who learn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education have the potential to earn more money than their peers? Many times the lack of interest in these subjects stem from the idea that they are boring. If you are looking for ways to interest your child in STEM subjects, try the new Sylvan Edge programs. They’ve developed hands on, experimental programs in subjects like robotics, computer coding, game design and engineering designed to create excitement in STEM Subjects.
I’ve always attempted to interest my children in these subjects and it helps to have fun projects and classes available for them. Here’s a quote from Harriet Tubman I share with my children to let them know I believe in them and think they can accomplish anything they want to do:
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
What are your favorite ideas to encourage STEM learning with your children? Share your thoughts and hashtag #StemPowerKids!
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My grandsons will love this! They love to experiment and if it glows in the dark, even better! Can’t wait to try it with them!
That sounds like a good idea to do with kids! I bet our kids would love to do something like this.
How cool is this! Looks like a lot of fun! 🙂
Cathy
This is really creative! I know that my son would love this.
This is SO cool. I know my daughters would love to created something like this. Thanks for sharing!
This sounds like a great fun project and I’m sure kids enjoyed the lava lamp.
I think my kids would have a great time making those glow in the dark lava lamps. They love doing hands-on science experiments.
This looks so fun! My kids love doing these kinds of experiments. I think we will have to try as I just found a big bag of glow sticks in my craft room.
So very cool, my boys would love to make this. Great St. Paddy’s Day activity! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing DIY! I never thought this before it’s really cool.
This will definitely be on the summer craft list Pam, how fun! Both my kids are STEM kids so they’ll be delighted to know about their earning potential!
I remember I used to have a lava lamp. I loved it! This would be a really cool project for the kids.
i TRIED MAKING ONE OF THESE BUT BY BREAKING OPEN A GLOW STICK…NEVER AGAIN WILL I DO IT THAT WAY HAHA
If you use a glow stick I definitely recommend having the adult slice off one end and then dropping it into the water before adding it to the oil.
I will definitely need to try this STEM activity with my son this Spring Break! Will be great to keep his brain engaged
That is such a cool project to do with the kids. I think it would be so fun.
Great project for us to do over spring break next week. And the whole family will enjoy it. Even mom. Thanks for sharing
How cool is this! My kids would love this. I love that you can reuse items and not have to go buy an expensive lamp or empty jar! Love this.
This is a fun experiment. I remember in chemistry class she put a mento into a coke bottle (with some coke). Then she shook it up. The lid would fly off. Fun times.
I hope your kids enjoyed the lava lamp.
I love the idea of creating a lava lamp from a soda bottle. This will be a fun activity for children and also in an inexpensive one. I always enjoyed having them when I was young. Thank you for sharing!
I miss Lava Lamps! Love that you shared a way to make them on your own, would be a fun science experiment to do with my kiddos!
That looks like a great spring break project for my kids, they love to do experiments.
How fun is this! My girls would have really enjoyed making one these when they were young.
What a cool idea for the kids to work on this weekend. I have never made anything like it before. Awesome!
This is a cool DIY! Sounds like a fun project for our kids. I am sure my kids will love it
I have not seen a lava lamp in ages!! What a great DIY idea to make with the kids, especially with spring break coming up.
They are totally making a comeback. And a homemade one is even cooler.
This is so cool! My kids always loved science crafts and projects. They’d love to do this!
This sounds like a fun project to do with my son. He would get a kick out of this.
This looks so fun! What a great way to get kids interested in science, as well as the scientific method. I really wish my teachers had done things like this with us when I was younger. I only really started enjoying the sciences later on in college when I had to take labs along with my lectures and got to do more hands on stuff.
This looks like such a cute experiment! My kids would love to make this with me!
Now this is a cool activity!
March break is just around the corner so I am going to pin this one to do with mine when we are on days off.
Oh cool! I had a friend just the other day looking for a lava lamp, I wonder if this would entertain her kids the way the old ones used to!
This is such a neat idea. I will have to make this with my niece when she comes over.
What a great project to do with the kids. I can introduce my grands to lava lamps. It’s sad that they probably don’t know what a lava lamp is. So cool!
That is insanely cool! I was just talking to my 11 year old about lava lamps the other day – this one is way cooler, though 🙂