STEAM Activity – Building Lava Lamps
Name: Joseph Cifala
Grade: 5 Unit: Understanding Matter and Energy: Properties and Changes in Matter
Curriculum Connections:
(overall):
2. conduct investigations that explore the properties of matter and changes in matter;
3. demonstrate an understanding of the properties of matter, changes of state, and
physical and chemical change.
(specific):
2.3 use scientific inquiry/experimentation skills to investigate changes of state and
changes in matter
3.3 explain changes of state in matter
3.5 describe chemical changes in matter as changes that are irreversible
3.7 identify indicators of a chemical change
Equipment Needed:
2L soda bottles (one per group)
Oil (vegetable or baby oil)
Alka seltzer tablets (one per experience)
Food coloring and water
Flashlight or phone light
Procedure:
1. Fill the bottle a third of the way with water, topping off the rest of the bottle with
oil. Pour until almost full.
2. After waiting two minutes for the separation to finish, add the food coloring.
Observe – does it mix with the oil, or pass down to the water?
3. Drop in half of an alka-seltzer tablet, and close the bottle. Put the light source under
the bottle and turn off the classroom lights!
Adapted from: http://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/lava-lamp/
Reflection:
I have used done this experiment many times both as a student and as the educator. It is
one of my favourites for its relatively low cost for materials and the ease of set-up, but with a
high pay off. It is hard to mess up one of these experiments short of not following the resources
list and trying it with fluids that are noticeably less buoyant. I like it because it brings in elements
of the arts through its very scientific process, that being room for student creativity through food
coloring and suggesting other potentially buoyant fluids to try. Recreating the experiment at
home was simple because these are common household materials being used, which I find an
asset to efficient lesson planning. One shortcoming is that it is a relatively quick experiment I
noticed when doing myself, though this could be because of my age. Because of this it might be
fruitful to combine it with another experiment or as part of a greater whole.
I think this lesson is best suited for right after an introduction about matter and
physical/chemical changes. It demonstrates and consolidates many fundamental points about the
properties of the fluids we use, and visually illustrates how they are different. It does not require
much preparation and clean-up is relatively simple, making it ideal for teachers on a time crunch.
It also has the benefit of being a demonstration or group experiments depending on the needs of
the lesson.
Emphasizing the arts aspect is something I’d like to develop further should I use this
activity in the future. We can have a discussion on color theory (which colors look most
aesthetically pleasing together, how does the tint of the oil change or force other options, etc…)
or extend the lesson into a conversation on light, another scientific topic. To do this we can
experiment with lighting the lava lamps with sources that have gels applied (transparent plastic
sheets in a variety of colors, usually used for stage lighting).
