Magical Bottles
These magical bottles are filled with different oils and/or corn syrup and/or water. Back in my school teaching days we called these waves in a bottle or ocean in a bottle— Oil and water and corn starch and water don’t mix but they sure do make pretty “waves”.
3 warnings before you go any further! 1. This is a messy project perfect for outside. 2. Make sure you have enough bottles and oils to make several of these. It becomes addicting-trying different mixtures together! 3. BE SURE LIDS ARE SCREWED ON TIGHT–you can even glue them closed-because if they open, believe me-it is a HUGE mess!
What you need:
several empty bottles with tight fitting lids, food coloring, water, funnels, mineral oil (I like to use mineral oil because it is clear), veg oil, corn syrup, treasures and glitter to put in your bottles.
Here is a closer look at our treasures–marbles, sequins, dice, little plastic animals or people, beads and buttons—anything non absorbent that will fit in the bottle.
I know there are actual directions for these but I just let my kids figure it out on their own–like what happens if you add water first vs. oil first what happens if you color the water or just the oil etc… Have fun there is no right or wrong way. Any way you do it your discovering something! That’s why it’s great to have several bottles and lots of supplies on hand.
You can do just corn syrup and because it is so heavy when you turn it upside down the treasures slowly float back to the top.
You can mix oil and water food coloring and treasures-shake it up and watch it separate
Or move the bottle slowly and watch the wave move around in the bottle.
We discovered if you add too much food coloring it gets too dark to see what’s going on inside the bottle.
We have made these several times and now have a collection of about 15 or so magic bottles. I often pull these out and put them in a sunny window. They are so pretty!!
Aren’t they?!
Tags: corn syrup, empty bottles, FLOAT, food coloring, funnels, glitter, Kids, marbles, mineral oil, mixture, mixtures, oil and water, photos, project, sequins, veg oil, wave move
I love little Kristen, I mean Ginger’s face while she is pouring. These do look like fun. I like the blue one which is in the pic with the green one. Fun mom you are!