Science – Getting excited about states of matter – lava lamps

Thursday 23 October 2025

Next half term, our learning in science will be about states of matter.  To kick our learning off with a bang (metaphorical rather than actual this time) we made lava lamps today.

We discussed how the different densities of the liquids meant that oil and water separated when poured into the same container.

After we added food colouring, we added an effervescent tablet (and enjoyed the challenge of saying effervescent!) The resulting reaction generated lots of awe and wonder from Year 4.  You can see some examples of what we saw below:

We discussed how we had to stay safe by leaving the lid off the jar so the gas could escape and not create pressure which might cause the jar to shatter.

I know lots of children would like to recreate the activity at home, you can find full details here: Instructions to make a lava lamp

Help at home: If you enjoy experimenting at home, you can find lots of ideas here: Science at home

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