4th of July Fun: Water-works

Looking for some 4th of July fun with your little ones that doesn’t involve loud noises and fire? Try making some colorful water-works, a simple experiment that shows the interaction between oil, water and food coloring.

What you’ll need:

  • Water
  • Vegetable oil
  • Food coloring (Any color will work, but blue and red are fun if you want to be patriotic!)
  • Glass container (Large jars work great!)
  • Bowl
  • Fork

What you’ll do:

  1. Put 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil into a bowl.
  2. Add 3 drops of 3 different food coloring colors. (Don’t mix them, or it might look muddy!)
  3. Use the fork to comb through the food coloring droplets, making them into multiple smaller droplets.
  4. Fill your glass container with water.
  5. Pour the contents of the bowl into the container of water. If you pour it quickly, you get a fast firework show with lots of pizzaz! If you pour slowly, you can extend the fun.
  6. Watch as the oil goes to the top and the food coloring falls through the oil, into the water. This will create beautiful “fireworks” sure to amaze your kiddos!