Summer Science: Fireworks in a Jar
It’s summer, and fireworks season is here! Head over to your pantry to make history and science collide in this easy summer fireworks project. This science project is perfect for the upcoming holiday and requires simple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen.
The tradition of lighting fireworks for Independence Day isn’t a modern one; it started in 1777 during the first official celebration of Independence Day. Thirteen-gun salutes were fired off ships in honor of the thirteen original colonies. The tradition was adopted by other nearby cities and now continues centuries later. John Adams even claimed in a letter to Abigail Adams that Independence Day should be celebrated with “bonfires and illuminations.”
Fireworks require a combustive reaction that detonates an explosion. The explosion disperses all of the materials inside it, and when different metal salts are added, a variety of colors are created. The heating of these salts in the explosion puts them into a state that is so energetic, it emits light.
In this project, we are using the chemistry of water, oil, and dye to create a safe, easy replication of fireworks. Oil and water do not mix due to their densities. Water, because it is molecularly heavier, will sink to the bottom of the jar. Food dye is typically water-based and will dissolve in water but not in oil. But because it is molecularly heavier than the oil, it will sink until it dissolves in the water, creating a firework effect.
Fireworks in a Jar
What You’ll Need
- Clear jar
- Bowl
- Vegetable oil
- Food coloring (variety of colors if desired)
- Glitter (variety of colors if desired)
- Water
- Tablespoon
- Fork
What You’ll Do
- Fill the clear jar ¾ full with water.
- Pour two tablespoons of vegetable oil into the empty bowl.
- Add three drops of food coloring and a small amount of glitter to the bowl.
- Stir the coloring, glitter, and oil in the bowl using a fork.
- Slowly pour the mixture into the water in the clear jar and watch the fun happen!
- Repeat steps 1-5 with other fun colors for a cool firework effect! Observe the colors and their movement.
Mobile Ed uses fun experiments like the fireworks in a jar to show students how interesting science can be when we take the time to understand and apply it. In Mobile Ed’s Magic of Science program, our team uses principles of science to complete magical demonstrations that continually make students excited to learn while still informing them of concepts in chemistry, physics, magnetism, and more.
Find more information about Mobile Ed’s science programs here.
