How to Make a Soda Lava Lamp

Children can make their own lava lamp inside a soda bottle.

Lava lamps, sometimes referred to as Astro lamps, are often made out of glass. Wax blobs inside of the lava lamp travel up and down inside of the glass. If you find lava lamps entertaining, or you want to teach your children how lava lamps work, you can make your own at home. Soda bottles can take the place of a glass container so that the project is safe for individuals of all ages.

Things You'll Need

• 16-ounce clear soda bottle
• Water
• Food coloring
• Vegetable oil
• Fizzing tablets

Instructions

1. Transfer the contents of a clear, 16-ounce soda bottle to another container, or wait until the soda bottle is empty to begin making your homemade lava lamp. The soda bottle must be clean, and free of any soda.

2. Pour water in the soda bottle until it is one-quarter full.

3. Add 15 to 20 drops of food coloring to the water in the soda bottle. Dark-colored food coloring is ideal. Shake the soda bottle to combine the food coloring and water.

4. Fill the soda bottle the rest of the way with vegetable oil. The vegetable oil and water will begin to separate.

5. Break apart a fizzing tablet so that it is in four equal parts. Drop one of the four pieces in the homemade lava lamp and watch the colored water blobs travel up and down the lamp.

6. Repeat, adding more pieces of the fizzing tablet as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a funnel to help pour the water and vegetable oil in the soda bottle if you are having trouble pouring with just the spout from the measuring cup.

References

• Indiana Public Media; Make Your Own Lava Lamp; Margaret Aprison; April 5, 2011
• Science Bob: Blobs in a Bottle
• Steve Spangler Science: Make Your Own Bubbling Lava Lamp