TYLER, Texas — The Discovery Science Place in Tyler joined the CBS19 Morning Loop team to teach viewers how to make their own lava lamps at home.
To do the experiment, check out the video above and these instructions:
Materials
- Empty, clear, plastic 1-liter or 2-liter bottles (2)
- Water
- Food coloring
- Vegetable oil (enough to fill bottles nearly full)
- An Alka-Seltzer tablet. Only one tablet is needed for the activity, but having additional tablets can be fun if you want to repeat lava lamp action.
Directions:
- Fill each bottle with 1 to 2 inches of water, add five drops of food coloring and then fill it at least three-quarters full of vegetable oil.
- Cut an Alka-Seltzer tablet into quarters. Only two quarter pieces are needed for the activity, but having additional pieces can be fun if you want to repeat lava lamp action.
- Drop the tablet piece into the bottle. It may take a moment to sink through the vegetable oil to reach the water, where it will react.
Cleanup
- When you are done playing with the lava lamps, do not pour them down the drain. That quantity of vegetable oil can lead to clogs in the sewer system.
- Instead, pour the contents of the lava lamps into a compost pile or dig a hole in your yard, away from any plants you care about and pour the contents in the hole. If neither of those are an option, simply screw the cap on tightly and throw the lava lamp jar in your regular trash.