Make Waves in a Bottle

What You Do:

1. Start by helping your kindergarten scientist to pour canola oil into your bottle until it’s about 1/3 full.   
2. Help your child pour in enough water to fill the rest of the bottle.  Add a few drops of food coloring, cap the bottle securely, and put the bottle on its side. 
3. Now swish the bottle back and forth, side to side.  Look at what’s happening— there's an ocean in the bottle!
4. As an extra option, consider making a little "boat" from a cork that fits through the top opening of your bottle.  Watch how the cork bobs on the waves, just like a surfer or sailor.

Did You Know?

On our planet, waves happen when our earth spins on its axis and water is pulled by gravity across the geological formations of the ocean floor.  When you move the bottle, you’re seeing energy move through the water to make waves, just like out in the deep blue sea!