Cool Colorful Lava Lamp Science Experiment

I ran across this craft idea from Family Fun today as I was researching President's Day information.  How I ended up on lava lamps, when I started out with Presidents is only a series of steps I could perform.  Nonetheless, here it is.

According to their video (which follows), all you need is a jar (or more than one if you're making several colors), water, oil, salt (they state that it needs to be Kosher - I'm not sure why, I guess that's part of the science of it all. Or perhaps, you can log some religious studies hours while you're at it) and food coloring.

Follow the video, and then figure out the science behind the project:



And, you can learn more about the science of how lava lamps work, here - more on lava lamps at How Stuff Works.

Science Projects with sand

Are you longing for a beach vacation?

Do you like the sand? Are you fascinated by how sand dunes form and the science behind them? It's science facts like this that can create fun, hands-on science experiments for children.

This is a great science experiment project that is simple to do and requires minimal mess yet provides a huge learning experience for kids:

Sand Dunes Project For Kids!