This experiment with the ocean in the bottle will not only create a cool-looking surf affect but it will show a little something about how Christ makes us different.
Material
• Clear plastic bottle
• Water
• Blue food coloring
• Tablespoon cooking oil
Introduction
I’m holding a bottle of water. If I put some oil in the bottle and shake it up, will the oil and the water get all mixed up together? Let’s try it and see what happens…and let’s also see what it can tell us about our school friendships this year.
Instructions
1. Add blue food coloring to the water.
2. Shake it up. The water will turn blue.
3. Tilt the bottle back and forth. Take a moment to inter-act with the children. Ask, “Does this look like an ocean in the bottle?”
4. Add oil to the bottle. Ask, “Is the oil and the water going to get all mixed together?”
5. Shake it up and let it rest.
6. Now say, “The oil is on top and the water is on the bottom because oil and water do not mix.”
Explanation
Oil and water don’t mix because the two liquids separate into two layers. The oil floats to the top because it is lighter or less dense than the water. The water is heavier or more dense than the oil so it sinks to the bottom.
Conclusion
When we go back to school this year and make new friends based on who’s in our class, let’s remember the oil and the water. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” We are like oil. Some of the kids in school who like temptations and doing wrong, they are like water.
Now, if we really want to, we can become like those not-so-great people. Shake up the bottle so that it’s bubbly and all mixed together. But it really takes some shaking things up. If we stay settled in Christ and don’t try to be the coolest, the most vain, the most noticed, we can keep ourselves from “mixing up” with the wrong crowds.
You might also be interested in these other awesome science experiment activities!
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