We have tried this experiment before, but this time we wanted to see if we could make it GLOW! Read on to see how you can make fireworks that glow-in-the-dark!
This kids activity is perfect for the 4th of July or any day that you want to "cause a spark".
Glowing Fireworks in-a-Jar
Materials- An empty jar
- Cooking oil
- Neon watercolor paint
- Water
- A bowl
- A spoon
- A blacklight
Method
- Begin by filling a cup or jar 3/4 of the way with water.
- Briefly set this to the side.
- In a bowl combine 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil along with several drops of neon watercolors.
- You will want to add 3-5 drops of watercolor paint for each color that you are using.
- Use a spoon to stir the paint into the oil.
- They will not mix but stirring will help to break the paint apart.
- Now, carefully pour the oil into the jar of water.
- The oil will settle at the top of the jar after a minute, but what about the paint?
- The neon watercolors will actually begin to shoot down, slowly mixing into the water to create a "fireworks" effect!
- The glowing water colors will continue to shoot down like fireworks until all of the paint has fallen from the oil.
How cool is that?
Rosie and Jewel thought this was the coolest thing and wanted to make glowing fireworks over and over again!
The Science:
- Why won't the oil & paint mix?
In short the oil is less dense than the water, causing it to float. However, the paint is more dense than the oil, causing it to fall through and mix into the water.
- The neon watercolor paint that we use for our activities can be purchased on Amazon here.
- We used vegetable oil, but other cooking oils and even baby oil will work.
- The blacklight fixture that we use can be found online here.
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