This is one of the coolest science experiments we have ever tried, and it is SO EASY to set up! All you need are a few items from home, and you can make your very own cloud just like the ones in the sky! How cool is that? Read on for the full tutorial.
This experiment is so cool, because you are literally making a cloud inside of a jar! The clouds that form in this experiment are identical to the ones that form in the sky. Pretty cool, right?
Are you ready to make a cloud in-a-jar?
Cloud in-a-Jar
Materials- A glass jar
- Boiling water
- Ice
- Hairspray
- A jar-lid or paper plate
Method
- Begin by filling a jar 1-2 inches of the way with boiling water.
- Carefully swirl the water inside of the jar to heat the sides of the glass.
- Then, place the lid upside-down on top of the jar. If you don't have the lid to the jar you can use a paper plate.
- Fill the lid with ice.
- Allow the ice to sit on top of the jar for a minute or two.
- You will have to be quick with this next part, so be ready.
- After a minute quickly lift the lid of ice from the jar and spray a bit of hairspray into the jar.
- Then, quickly place the lid of ice back onto the jar.
- You will immediately begin to notice a cloud forming in the jar!
- And within a few moments the entire jar will be a cloud!
- Observe the cloud in the jar for a minute or two.
- Then, when you are ready you can release it!
How cool is that?
My girls had so much fun and wanted to make cloud after cloud!
Note: You may want to release your clouds in front of a black backdrop, as that makes it much easier to see the cloud in the air.
My girls had so much fun and wanted to make cloud after cloud!
The Science Behind the Fun
What causes the cloud to form inside of the jar?
- Warm, wet air rises from the boiling water inside of the jar.
- That warm air meets with the cool air just below the ice.
- When the warm air meets the cold air it creates water droplets that form together to create an instant cloud in-a-jar!
Why the hairspray?
- The hair spray is used to create particles in the air.
- The particles give the water droplets something to form onto, just as dust and other particles in the air do for a real cloud in the sky!
Extend the Fun
Did your kids enjoy making a cloud inside of a jar? If so be sure to give these other weather experiments a try:
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KIDS:
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