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Are you ready to whip up a storm of science and fun right in your kitchen? Today, we’re bringing you an experiment that’s as cool as it is educational – the Blizzard Lava Lamp! This isn’t your typical lava lamp; it’s a swirling spectacle that mimics a blustery blizzard inside a jar. Not only is it a mesmerizing sight to behold, but it’s also a fantastic way to understand some fascinating scientific concepts.

As we create our Blizzard Lava Lamp, we’ll learn about liquid densities, chemical reactions, and the sheer joy of making something wonderful with our own hands. So, put on your lab coats (or aprons!) and let’s create a snowstorm in a jar!

WILL YOU SET UP THIS WINTER LAVA LAMP EXPERIMENT FOR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER!

What You’ll Need:

A clear jar or glass
A spoon or craft stick
A bowl to mix white paint and water
White paint (for that snowy blizzard effect)
Baby oil
Alka-Seltzer tablets, broken into quarters

Creating Your Blizzard Lava Lamp:

Mix Your Snowstorm: In a bowl, mix a small amount of white paint with water until well combined. This will be your snowstorm mixture.

Layer Up: Fill your jar about three-quarters full with baby oil. Then, slowly pour the paint-water mixture on top. Watch as it settles to the bottom, creating two distinct layers!
Get Fizzy: Drop a quarter piece of Alka-Seltzer into the jar and watch the blizzard come to life! The tablet will sink to the bottom and start reacting, creating a mesmerizing blizzard effect. Add the tablets one at a time to keep the storm going!

Tips for a Perfect Storm:

Baby Oil First: Always add the baby oil before the paint-water mixture. If the order is reversed, you’ll have to wait for the layers to separate again.
Fizz Control: Add the Alka-Seltzer pieces slowly. If you add too much at once, your blizzard might become a blizzard overflow!
Watch and Learn: Use this as an opportunity to observe and talk about what’s happening inside your jar. Ask questions like, “Why do you think the paint stays at the bottom?”

The Science Behind Your Blizzard:

This experiment is a fantastic way to understand the concepts of density and chemical reactions. Baby oil is less dense than water, which is why your paint-water mixture sinks. When the Alka-Seltzer is added, it creates a gas (carbon dioxide), which bubbles up through the oil, taking some of the paint-water mixture with it. As the gas escapes at the top, the paint-water mixture falls back down. Cool, right?

Skills Learned:

Scientific Thinking: Kids learn to observe, predict, and understand the basic principles of density and chemical reactions.
Patience and Precision: Following the steps carefully teaches the importance of accuracy in scientific experiments.

Safety Tips:

Adult Supervision: Always have an adult present to supervise the entire experiment.
No Tasting Allowed: Make sure children understand that the materials used in this experiment are not for consumption, especially the Alka-Seltzer tablets.

Clean-Up Tips:

Mess Management: Perform the experiment on a tray or surface that’s easy to wipe down.
Storage Solution: If you want to keep your blizzard lava lamp for a bit, secure the lid tightly on the jar. When you’re ready to dispose of it, pour the liquid into the toilet and rinse the jar thoroughly.

So, there you have it – your very own blizzard in a jar! Through this fun and frosty experiment, not only did we create a winter spectacle, but we also unraveled some intriguing scientific mysteries. Stay curious, keep experimenting, and remember, every day is a great day for a little science and a lot of fun!

Age Suitability

This experiment is great for preschoolers aged children 3 years old and up with adult assistance.

Mess Level

The mess level for this experiment is low.

Difficulty to Create

Easy.

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers

There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!

But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.

Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.

Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!

These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!

Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.

350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.

Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.

The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids

Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.

Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!

Shop our ready made play kits here.