Set one 2-liter clear bottle upright and pour in 5 1/2 cups of water. Add paper scraps or food coloring to the water. Connect the spout of an empty 2-liter bottle to the full one. You may purchase a tornado tube connector at a science store or place a 3/8-inch washer between the spouts and secure it with electrical tape.
Invert the bottles so the full one is on top. Note that the air pressure from below meets the water pressure trying to drain, making the water drip slowly or stop. Now rotate the bottle and observe how the change in force creates a funnel effect that drains into the lower bottle.
Cut four 12-by-24-inch panels of heavy cardboard. Make a 20-by-3/4-inch slit about 1 inch from the right edge of each panel. Cut a 20-by-5-inch window in two of the panels 2 inches to the left of the slit. Lay the panels flat edge to edge, the two window panels first, then the slit-only panels, keeping the slits on the right. Tape them together with duct tape and spray-paint the inner surface black. Cover the window panes with clear plastic, sealing the seams with duct tape. Crease the corner joins to form a rectangular box and tape the last corner top to bottom. Set the box upright with the slits on your right.
Heat a small pot of water on a hot plate and set the box over the hot plate. Shine a directional light source through a window while the water boils. Observe the water vapor turn into a vortex . Boil a separate kettle of water on the stove to replenish the hot water and keep the tornado funnel going.
Fill a clear quart jar with 3 cups of water. Measure and pour in 2 tablespoons of liquid soap. Drop in a few drops of food coloring and a marble, small plastic toy person or house, and screw the lid on tightly. Shake well, then spin the jar counterclockwise in an upright position to imitate the direction in which a tornado spins. Observe the funnel that develops inside the jar, growing and shrinking, and tossing the toys about just like a real tornado on its destructive path.
Having seen the destructive capabilities of tornadoes, your primary concern should be to stay safe when you hear one might be headed your way. Educate yourself and others with a tornado safety tips science project.
Make a poster or brochure to highlight tornado safety recommendations, such as take shelter away from windows in a basement or under a solid piece of furniture in the smallest room in the center of the lowest floor of your house, school or building. If you are outside or in a car, do not attempt to outrun a tornado; move away from path of the storm at right angles and seek the lowest ground, such as a ditch.