Easy Lava Lamp Experiment For Children – Kitchen Science for Kids

Combining science with making something pretty was a win win for my little girl. All we needed was a few things we already had in the food cupboard to make her very own lava lamp. This kitchen science experiment for children is really easy and a simple learning exercise that only takes a couple of minutes to set up.

Easy Kitchen Science Experiment for Kids

I’m trying to make the most of being at home at the moment, finding fun activities to do with my children in lockdown. This simple kids science experiment was perfect, using things I had at the back of the food cupboard to spark conversation about chemical reactions and water density. Plus it looked pretty cool.

Simple Science Experiments with Household Objects

All you need is:

• A jar or glass
• Water
• Vegetable oil
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Food colouring
• Vinegar

How to do a Lava Lamp Experiment with Children

1. Add 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda to a tall glass or jar
2. Fill up with water till its about a quarter full.
3. Top up with cooking oil, leaving a few centimetres space at the top.
4. In a separate glass, add a few drops of food colouring to the vinegar. (The lighter the colour the better for clearer results)
5. Now for the fun bit, add the vinegar and watch the chemical reaction take place.

The oil and water separating provides a nice and simple explanation of density and the vinegar and bicarb is a very visual way to show children a chemical reaction taking place.

My little girl was mesmorised watching the bubbles fizz and pop. Once it dies down you can add a bit more bicarb to get it going again.

More Kids Activities During Lockdown…

My children have loved keeping in touch with family and friends on video chats. We have tried lots of different games and quizzes. I have made some into printables you can download here.

We are really lucky to have a big garden space to play in, and like many we have a trampoline that the kids LOVE to bounce on. With so many hours to fill right now, I’ve written a post here with 6 fun things to do on a trampoline.

Have you heard of squishy bags? An easy way to have fun with slime at home without the mess. here’s how we made ours.