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How to Make a Layer Density Bottle

Kids love creating beautiful art, and they're fascinated by the miracles of science. They already know that they can stack solid objects, such as blocks. They'll be completely amazed to find that they can also stack liquids. You can show them how to combine art with science to demonstrate the concept of liquid density with this fascinating layer-density bottle project. You already have everything you need in your cabinets.

Things You'll Need

Old newspapers
Empty plastic 1-liter bottle
Honey
Light corn syrup
Dish soap
Water
Vegetable oil
Rubbing alcohol
Baby oil
7 disposable cups
Food coloring

Instructions

- 1
  Spread some old newspapers out on your working surface.
- 2
  Cut the top off an empty plastic 1-liter bottle. Discard the top.
- 3
  Measure ½ cup of each of the following ingredients into its own individual disposable cup: honey, light corn syrup, dish soap, water, vegetable oil, rubbing alcohol and baby oil.
- 4
  Add a few drops of food coloring to the corn syrup, water and rubbing alcohol. Create colors that differ from each other so that each fluid is unique.
- 5
  Pour the honey into the plastic 2-liter bottle. Slowly add the corn syrup. Allow it to settle. Pour in the dish soap. Add the water, vegetable oil, rubbing alcohol and baby oil. Let each new addition settle for a moment before you introduce the next. The liquids may look like they're mixing a little, but each is finding its own position and will settle to form a distinct layer according to its own density.

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