This week in Year 7 Science Club, Mrs Hammond cooked up a storm with an exciting experiment making scientific lava lamps! Students gathered round with a buzz of anticipation as the experiment was explained to them.
Using only water, oil, food colouring, fizzing tablets and a bottle, Mrs Hammond showed how ordinary objects can be recreated into extraordinary ones. Students gathered their materials together, ensuring the correct quantities of water and oil before adding a dash of food colouring which sank through the mixture. Next, once the mixture had settled, a fizzy tablet was broken in half and delicately dropped into the bottle. The group then watched excitedly as blobs and bubbles transformed their liquid into a fully functioning lava lamp!
This task was a brilliant way in which to highlight differences in liquid density and explain how chemical reactions can lead to gas being made. As the gas was denser than the mixture, the bubbles floated to the top creating the iconic blob motion from traditional lava lamps. A wonderful, innovative activity for our young scientists and one that nurtured their curiosity, imagination and creativity!
