Primary 6 – Science: Lava Lamp Experiment
In Science class, P6 students have learned about Chemical Reactions. A chemical reaction happens when two or more substances, called reactants, react together and create a new product. To understand how chemical reactions happen, students did an experiment to make a simple lava lamp. This lava lamp was made of plastic bottles, water, cooking oil, food coloring, and an effervescent tablet.
The experiment began with students filled a plastic bottle with water and few drops of food colouring. Next, they added cooking oil to the bottle. The ratio between water and cooking oil was 1:3. Last step, an effervescent tablet was put into the bottle and a chemical reaction happened. When the tablet fell into the water, bubbles of gas rose through the colored water to pass the cooking oil on top, making it look like lava when we put a flashlight near the bottle. This experiment proved that when substances in effervescent tablets reacted to water and cooking oil, it would create a new product, which was a bubble of gas.
Through this activity, students not only deepen their understanding of chemical reaction theory, but also get a chance to observe closely how a chemical reaction occurs. Besides that, students also develop their practical skills to make a product from things around them.
In the final step, the students were given a chance to write an experiment report to share their preparation for making a lava lamp, the steps of making the lava lamp, and the conclusion as to why this activity is a chemical reaction. By doing the series of activities in this experiment, hopefully, students can practice working scientifically in the future. Learning how to work scientifically can help students to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, not only in Science class but also in their real lives. ***
