How to Make a DIY Lava Lamp

Have you ever wondered how lava lamps were made? Hello, my name is Allison Bahmuller and today I will be giving instructions on how to make a fun and quick DIY lava lamp. This project will only require a few simple and easy steps that will take just a few minutes. There will also be optional steps to add in along the way to make this lava lamp unique.

First, we will need a large plastic pop bottle, water, vegetable oil, food coloring, glow sticks, glitter (optional), and effervescent tablets. First, make the pop bottle is all rinsed out, and the bigger the pop bottle, the better. Also, all of the things needed for this activity can be found at Walmart.

Once the bottle is rinsed, fill up the bottle 3/4 of the way up with vegetable oil. The vegetable oil will contribute to forming the bubbles when mixed with the water. Next, fill the rest of the bottle up with water making sure to leave a small amount empty for the next few things that will be added. Then pick out a color of food coloring, adding 4 to 5 drops into the bottle, and shake the bottle until mixed. If desired, add in some glitter to make this lava lamp a little different and colorful. This will give the lava lamp more of galaxy vibe to it.

For the next step, take one of the effervescent tablets and break it into a few pieces and drop them into the lava lamp concoction and then screw on the lid. Breaking up the tablet helps the bubbles form a bit faster. Gently shake the bottle to speed up the process a little bit more. Shaking the bottle will also aid in stirring the food coloring and glitter into the mixture.

Lastly, pick out a glow stick color and crack the glow stick in order to activate it. Once it is activated, unscrew the lid of the pop bottle and drop in the glow stick.

Put the lid back on and give the bottle one more shake and tip it upside down a few times to really just to make sure everything is all mixed together.

Once the mixing process is finished, turn off the lights to watch the lava lamp glow in the dark. This is a perfect DIY nightlight for camping or just a fun stay at home project/activity, enjoy!