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A glowing glass jar filled with swirling rainbow-colored light patterns, held gently by two hands in a dimly lit setting.

Rainbow Lava Lamp in a Jar

Create your own dazzling rainbow lava lamp with this fun and simple science experiment. Watch colorful bubbles rise and swirl with just a few household items!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings: 1 jar
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 clean, clear jar or bottle
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • food coloring variety of colors for rainbow effect
  • Alka-Seltzer tablets or any effervescent tablets
  • 1 flashlight optional, to enhance the glow

Method
 

  1. Fill the jar about ¾ full with vegetable oil.
  2. Add water until the jar is nearly full and watch how the water sinks below the oil.
  3. Add drops of food coloring, one color at a time, letting each color settle to the water layer before adding the next.
  4. Drop in half an Alka-Seltzer tablet to start the lava lamp effect and watch the bubbles rise and swirl.
  5. Repeat with more tablet pieces to keep the lava lamp going.

Notes

Use a flashlight in a dark room to enhance the glowing, swirling effect. Make sure to supervise children during the experiment. For best results, allow all food coloring drops to settle fully before adding the tablet.