How to Make a Plasma Lamp

Kids can make their own lava lamps at home.

Plasma lamps are also known as lava lamps, lava lites and motion lamps. Inside each lamp are several globs that rise and fall within the lamp. Children find these plasma lamps fascinating. Since plasma lamps are quite expensive, some people choose to make a similar product at home with common household items. This can be done as a craft project for art, or as a project for a science fair.

Things You'll Need

• Glass jar
• Tap water
• Dark food coloring
• Glitter
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Select a glass jar that is taller than it is wide and fill it three-quarters of the way up with cold tap water.

2. Squeeze seven to eight drops of a dark bottle of food coloring into the water in the glass jar. Green, red and blue food coloring all work well for this project.

3. Shake a glitter bottle three times over the glass of colored water. Then fill the glass jar the rest of the way with vegetable oil.

4. Turn a flashlight on and position it behind your glass jar.

5. Watch the vegetable oil form droplets as it stays separate from the water. Now shake salt onto the vegetable droplets and watch as they begin to sink to the bottom of the glass jar. If you wait a minute or two, you will see the droplets rise back up to the top of the jar. This occurs because the salt lies on the oil, making it more dense than the water. Salt dissolves in water, so after it dissolves, the oil becomes less dense than the water and rises back up to the top.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have vegetable oil, baby oil can be substituted.

References

• Family Fun: How to Make a Groovy Lava Lite
• National Geographic Kids: Make a Groovy Lava Lamp