Lava Lamp Experiment for Screen-time Hungry Toddlers

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   My 2 and a half year old son doesn't like anything unless it is Super Why or the Minions on the television. And I mean anything, despite my best efforts. 

   I am trying to reduce his screen time, which means I have to come up with fun and exciting activities he would be interested in.

   Most of these are a big flop. I mean the I am playing with play-do and kicking a ball around by myself after 30 seconds kind of flop. Super discouraging.
   

   But despite these setback, I have persevered and found something he actually liked for 10 whole minutes! A win for this mom! 

   Homemade lava lamps. Super simple, cheap, and entertaining. I got this idea from Danielle at Fun Learning For Kids. Hop over to her blog for exact directions and her science-y explanation for why this works.

   Seriously, this was so much fun, and my toddler was truly intrigued. 

   So first, you fill some cups up with oil. The directions to say about 3/4 of the way, but I didn't have a whole lot of oil on hand, so I did about 2/3 instead (ignore the Mason jar. I only have 2 clear cups).

  

Next, color about 1/2 of water with whatever color you want. We wanted to do three different colors, so we have red, blue, and green. 

   The only ingredient you might not have on had are these Alka-Seltzer tablets. We chose to use 2 tablets per color. Break them up into 3-4 pieces and set aside. Also, I bought the name brand because I wasn't sure if any off brands would work as well. You can totally try something else if you want.

    Okay, now to start the actual experiment. First, pour your colored water into the cups with oil. It creates this pretty look. Now add the tablets in and...

    This is what you get! Bubbly lava lamps! They are so fun!

 If you are at the end of your rope and don't know what to do with your busy or screen loving toddler, give this experiment a shot. It won't disappoint!