For this experiment you will need a water bottle, bath fizz ball, small sea-life items, sand, glitter, blue food coloring and water.
Discuss oceans and ocean life with the children to prepare them for making their own oceans. Encourage kids to select items that represent ocean life and place them in an empty water bottle for their "ocean in a bottle." Provide items like shells, sea creature figurines, glitter and sand. Have kids break up a fizz ball and put some of the pieces in the water bottle. Mix blue food coloring in a pitcher of water to turn the water blue. Pour the colored water into the bottles to almost fill them up. Close the bottles using the original lids and let the kids admire their ocean in a bottle. This project is particularly suitable for younger children ages 4 to 7.
For this experiment you will need empty water bottles, lots of glitter and small trinkets that can fit through the mouth of the water bottle.
Discuss the concept of looking for things. For example, dig in the dirt to find worms or look for fossils. Then experiment finding items in hide and seek bottles that the kids create. Have children choose five to 10 trinket items to place in the bottle. Suggest that children select items of different weight. Trinket items can be anything that will fit into the bottle: rubber-bands, push pins, monopoly houses, beads or rhinestones. Fill the rest of the bottle with glitter and close the bottle with the lid. Instruct children to shake and move the bottle around trying to find the trinkets and discussing how some trinkets are easier to find than others due to their weight. This project is particularly suitable for younger children, ages 3 to 6.
For this experiment you will need two water bottles, a washer, water, food coloring, glitter and duct tape.
Fill one bottle with water. Add some drops of food coloring and glitter. Place the washer on the top of the filled bottle. Take the empty bottle and turn it upside down, and attach it to the filled water bottle, mouth to mouth, using duct tape and creating a water-proof seal. Have children tip the bottles so that the filled water bottle pours into the empty bottle. The water slowly moves through the washer into the empty bottle. To simulate the tornado, swirl the upside-down filled water bottle around, creating a vortex. Discuss with the kids how the vortex is a tornado and how the tornado suddenly makes the water move much quicker through the washer. The glitter swirling around demonstrates the debris that generally circulates in a tornado. This project is particularly suitable for children ages 7 to 12.
For this experiment you will need an empty water bottle, rubbing alcohol, vegetable oil, food coloring, glitter and duct tape.
Ask kids to fill the bottle one quarter full of rubbing alcohol and add a drop or two of food coloring. Then have kids fill the rest of the bottle with vegetable oil, leaving enough room to add some glitter to the bottle. Seal the bottle with the lid and duct tape it to create a waterproof seal. Instruct kids to shake the water bottle up and then watch the material in the bottle settle. Point out how the alcohol and oil separate. This project is particularly suitable for children 5 to 10.
For this experiment you will need an empty water bottle, flashlight, finely ground coffee or potting soil and glitter.
Have kids put approximately 1 to 2 tsp. of glitter in the empty water bottle. Fill the the remainder of the bottle with glitter and coffee grounds or potting soil, leaving some empty space at the top to make it easy to shake the contents up. Close the water bottle with the lid and shake up the glitter and coffee grounds or potting soil to create a mix. Shine a flashlight on the bottle and notice how the glitter lights up. Try this in the dark as well. Explain how the glitter represents the millions of stars in the sky. This project is particularly suitable for children ages 5 to 10.