Your little ones will love trying out this fun kids’ science experiment! This oil and water experiment takes science to a colorful new level. Science Experiments at Home for Kids on Frugal Coupon Living. Enjoy this fun water and oil activity!
Kids Science Experiments at Home | Oil and Water Experiment
It’s a common saying that water and oil don’t mix, but do your kids know exactly why? Even without a full explanation, your little ones will love trying out this fun kids’ science experiment with water and oil! As a former teacher, I am all for easy science experiments that let kids learn about science at home. With that being said, this is a fantastic science experiment for elementary school teachers, too! Teachers shouldn’t have to pay extra for engaging activities for their students, and simple activities like these make everyone a winner.
The great thing about this oil and water experiment is that it’s both incredibly easy and that you probably have all the ingredients in your house already! Oil and water are incredibly inexpensive and easy to get a hold of. All you need for this fun kids’ science experiment are a few colors of food dye, water, cooking oil, eye droppers, and beakers or cups. Straws work too if you don’t have eye droppers on hand!
Letting your kids experiment with science at home doesn’t mean you have to spend extra on supplies. Pique their interest in the science field with an easy experiment that’s both informative and simple to create. They will love getting to perform this hands-on experiment, and the extension component allows them to learn the explanation of the experiment in simple terms that are made for kids. Your kids will feel like expert scientists when they get to perform this oil and water experiment! Enjoy!
How do you explain the oil and water experiment to kids?
Put simply, what’s happening is that the molecules of water can’t mix with the molecules of oil. Even if you try to shake up a bottle of half-oil and half-water, the oil just breaks up into smaller droplets, but it doesn’t truly mix with the water. Only the food coloring mixes with water. The oil will stay completely separate! Plus, the oil will always float on top of water because oil is less dense. This experiment is a great way to begin a discussion about density and how liquids interact when they are mixed together.
Oil and Water Experiment
Supplies:
- Cooking oil
- 2 cups water, divided
- Food coloring
- Straws or eye droppers
Directions:
- Fill up a small jar or bottle with cooking oil (it’s fun if each kid has their own!).
- Place 1/4 cup of water in 4 separate containers.
- Dye each water filled container a different color with just a drop or two of food coloring and mix.
- Set your straw (or eye dropper) into one container of colored water, place your fingertip over the top of the straw, and drop the colored water into the oil by lifting your fingertip off the straw.
- Watch how the oil and colored water droplets separate.
Explanation and questions for the oil and water experiment:
Oil and water separate when combined because water is denser than oil. It causes the colored water droplets to sink when added to the jar of oil.
Encourage your kids to play around with this experiment. Ask them further questions including, when combining different colors do they seek to join together? Do they seem to seek to join together more over time?
Explain density and ask your kids or students which is denser, water or oil? (The oil floats, showing that it’s less dense than water.)
Why let the fun stop here? Have more fun with science with these experiments! Take a look at these Five Minute Science Experiments for Kids you can do in your home! Pin to Pinterest and save for later!
We have plenty of science experiments to try out at home. Take a look at our Kids Science Experiments at Home | Baking Soda and Vinegar. Pin to Pinterest.
Have kids at home who are obsessed with slime? They will love these Easy Borax Recipes! These fun kids’ science experiments don’t stop at slime — you won’t believe what your kids can create with borax! They won’t even realize they are learning! Pin to Pinterest.
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