Supplies Needed for the Ocean in a Bottle Experiment

Series Summary

Some liquids just don't mix. This is because some liquids are denser than others. For example, when oil and water are mixed together the oil always rises to the top because it is a less dense liquid. The two just will not mix. By placing both oil and water in a container and adding a few drops of water-based food coloring the color will mix with only the water since it is of the same density and not mix with the oil. It will act as a beacon for us to see the separation of the two liquids. As the container is tilted and the water is pulled down by gravity it will slowly move the oil out of its way and flow like waves to the other side of the container.

This free video series will show you detailed instructions on how to create your own homemade ocean in a bottle as a fun and cool science experiment using everyday items in your home. It will show you exactly what supplies you will need to build it and how to assemble and demonstrate it. If you're looking for an interesting and fun experiment for a science fair or any other school project this is a great series for you!

Video Transcript

" Hi this is Scott Thompson from expertvillage.com, and today I'm going to demonstrate a way to build a ocean in a bottle, and demonstrate that some solutions just do not mix. This science activity is a fun one for kids because they get to mix up like some different liquids, to demonstrate how some solutions just don't like each other, they do not mix at all, or hardly at all. What you will need for this for this demonstration, to build a ocean it a bottle I call it, is... a vessel to actually make the ocean in the bottle within... a low cost alternative is just a pop bottle or a bottle water empty bottle, plastic bottle. A little bit more expensive and nice to have if you can get them are these test tubes. These are actually future two liter pop bottles. The are called baby soda bottles. Eventually they would be pressurized and heated up and turned from this size into the larger pop bottle that you see in the store. But in this form they are really handy in classrooms because they are unbreakable and reusable, and you can buy decent size quantities of them for not a lot of money. Also you are going to need some vegetable oil or kerosene lamp oil, a light weight oil, baby oil works good too, a real cheap alternative... and some food coloring. Very inexpensive to get at the store; but adding color to your ocean makes it extra fun. One other item that you are going to need for this activity is a supply of water, so if you either have it on hand, a pan or a bucket is great, or you can just get it right from the faucet. Water would be one of the two solutions that will show that certain solutions just do not like each other."