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May 24, 2012 · 53 Comments

DIY Lava Lamps

Crafts + DIY· Decor

DIY Lava Lamps!! Easy and super fun for the kids!! Supplies needed are - water, vegetable oil, alka seltzer, and food coloring.

Summer, Summer, Summertime….

Anyone else singing with me?

Any who…

Most of the kiddos are getting out of school this week or next and I’m sure everyone is wondering what they can do to entertain the kiddos. My kids aren’t in school yet, but it’s definitely getting super hot here in AZ so I’ve been trying to think of some fun things we can do inside. If you missed our DIY Dinosaur Ice Fossils, be sure to check those out.

I recently saw an awesome idea on Family Fun and thought we would give it a go. What was it you ask?

DIY Lava Lamps!

These were easy peasy and were so fun for the kiddos to make!

SUPPLIES:

– Plastic Bottles (I used VOSS water bottles)

– Vegetable Oil

– Water

– Food Coloring

– Alka-Seltzer

DIRECTIONS:

DIY Lava Lamps!! Easy and super fun for the kids!! Supplies needed are - water, vegetable oil, alka seltzer, and food coloring.

DIY Lava Lamps!! Easy and super fun for the kids!! Supplies needed are - water, vegetable oil, alka seltzer, and food coloring.

{My little partner in crime who helps me with all my projects while the other two are napping – LOVE her!!!}

1. Gather your supplies.

DIY Lava Lamps!! Easy and super fun for the kids!! Supplies needed are - water, vegetable oil, alka seltzer, and food coloring.

2. Empty water bottles. The hubby said there was a flavored water drink whose bottle looks like a  lava lamp but I couldn’t find those. These VOSS bottles seemed like they would work though.

Fill a little over half way with vegetable oil. Fill the rest until about one inch from the top with water.

DIY Lava Lamps!! Easy and super fun for the kids!! Supplies needed are - water, vegetable oil, alka seltzer, and food coloring.

3. Add 10 drops of food coloring.

DIY Lava Lamps!! Easy and super fun for the kids!! Supplies needed are - water, vegetable oil, alka seltzer, and food coloring.

4. Break your Alka-Seltzer into quarters. Add one piece at a time and watch the lava go!! Be sure to wait until the bubbles settle to add another piece of Alka-Seltzer or the bottle can get pretty cloudy.

DIY Lava Lamps!! Easy and super fun for the kids!! Supplies needed are - water, vegetable oil, alka seltzer, and food coloring.

5. You can continue to add quarter pieces to see the lava lamp in action. Not sure how many times it will work, but we’ve already done it about 15 time for each bottle and it looks great!!

Man, I LOVE fun and easy projects to do with the kiddos!!

For even more fun Kid’s crafts be sure to check out:

DIY Dino Fossils - the kids loved doing this! Great idea for parties!!

DIY Dinosaur Fossils

How to make Candy Bracelets!! The kids will be entertained as they make an edible bracelet!

Candy Bracelets

Printable Treasure Map Kids Activity - Free Coloring Pages and Scavenger Hunt { lilluna.com }

Printable Treasure Map Kids Activity

For more kid activities go HERE.

For all Crafts & Tutorials go HERE.

And get weekly emails with monthly freebies by signing up for the Lil’ Luna newsletter. šŸ™‚

For even more great ideas follow me on Facebook – Pinterest – Instagram – Twitter – Periscope – Snapchat & YouTube.

ENJOY!

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Previous Post: « DIY Dinosaur Fossils
Next Post: Father’s Day Super Dad Pop Box Set »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. amber says

    May 24, 2012 at 11:20 am

    oh gosh! how cute are these! and i love the voss bottles anyway because they’re glass and just cool! i’m totally making these šŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. Kaysi @ Keeping It Simple says

    May 24, 2012 at 12:33 pm

    What a fun idea!!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Anna says

    May 24, 2012 at 1:26 pm

    Oh my word your daughter is too cute! You come up with the best/most creative ideas, I love it!

    Anna
    http://www.askannamoseley.com

    Reply
  4. kelsey bang says

    May 24, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    these are awesome! i am going to make one for me!!!

    Reply
  5. Daniela Escobar says

    May 24, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    Wow! How cute is this?? Love it!! I’m deftenly going to try it myself and pass it to our nannies and [email protected]

    Reply
  6. {oc cottage} says

    May 24, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    awesome! i knew those cool bottle had to be good for something! ;}

    m ^..^

    Reply
  7. RM. Home Confetti says

    May 25, 2012 at 10:04 am

    We’re putting this on our Summer Fun List! This would be a great activity for a 60s/70s party too!

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      May 26, 2012 at 5:14 pm

      Didn’t even think about that for a party, but you’re right – they would be perfect!! Thanks for the idea. Have a great weekend. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  8. Susie @Bowdabra says

    May 26, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    HI Kristyn
    Oh my! These are fabulous! You take great pictures of your work, too! Very fun!

    We would LOVE for you to stop over and link up this awesome idea in our Crafty Saturday Showcase. The Showcase runs Saturday through Thursday. Then our Designers will pick their top linked up picks and feature them on Friday! Stop over and join in the fun! We have a linky for crafty bloggers and ETSY/Business Bloggers!

    Have a great weekend,
    Susie
    http://bowdabrablog.com/2012/05/26/saturday-showcase-craft-projects-3/

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      May 26, 2012 at 4:39 pm

      Hi Susie!
      Thank you so much for the kind words!! I just linked up to your party. Thanks again for stopping by. I hope you have a great weekend! šŸ˜€

      Reply
  9. Kate says

    May 30, 2012 at 5:00 am

    That looks like so much fun- I will definitely be trying it with my son! I would love for you to share this (and any other creations) at Pin It and Win It Wednesday @ http://www.cheapcraftymama.com!

    Reply
  10. Meghan says

    June 4, 2012 at 9:19 am

    What a great decorative centerpiece. How far in advance can they be made?? I love this idea and it’s easy to do. Could you use any kind of glass bottle/jar??

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      June 4, 2012 at 10:04 am

      You can make them as far in advance as you need to, and then you just add the alka-seltzer when you’re ready, but it only lasts for a few minutes until you let the bubbles die down and you add another alka-seltzer. And I think any kind of bottles/jar will work. šŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Taylor says

        June 18, 2012 at 9:14 am

        I’m currently babysitting and would absolutely LOVE to do this! However, I don’t have any alka-seltzer…and I don’t have any means of transportation to get some. Could I possibly use hydrogen peroxide as a substitute? Thanks! c:

        Reply
  11. marissa says

    September 18, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    how long does the lava lamp last?……. we want to do them as center pieces for a 70s grad party…..

    Reply
  12. nick says

    September 30, 2012 at 10:56 am

    Awesome project – I was curious how you removed the printed on graphics from the Voss bottles. Thanks šŸ˜‰

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      October 1, 2012 at 7:28 am

      Hi Nick! My graphics were a label and not printed on the bottles so I just had to take off the label. :/

      Reply
      • nick says

        October 5, 2012 at 7:47 pm

        Thank you. Unfortunately the graphics on my VOSS bottle are printed on.

        Reply
  13. Kim~moms just being says

    October 25, 2012 at 4:52 am

    ahhh!! I love this!! Me and 2 of my friends have a facebook site called “Moms Just Being” and I just added a link to this site for awesome ideas for mamas!! THANK YOU!! awesome job!!

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moms-Just-Being/110740452418336

    Reply
  14. Anna says

    February 17, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    I’m going to try this.

    Reply
  15. Dawn says

    May 5, 2014 at 4:13 am

    These are pretty cool. Just a thought. How about snapping open a glow stick and adding that to the finished effect for night time/parties. Would that work?

    Reply
  16. Paulina Kramer says

    August 24, 2014 at 10:41 am

    I did this with my boy cousins who don’t think anything is cool. They loved this! We added alka seltzer whenever we were bored. Sometimes when we opened the bottles they would overflow or explode a little. From the instructions I didn’t really get that it wasn’t permanant or that you only put in one alka seltzer.

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      September 8, 2014 at 12:20 pm

      Sorry – it’s not permanent since you have to put in the Alka Seltzer for the reaction. šŸ˜‰

      Reply
  17. Wow says

    January 20, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    Hi luv this tots cute idea!

    Reply
  18. Lorna says

    May 28, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    Just wanted to say this is one of the best activities/experiments we have done yet! They turned out awesome and my 3 1/2 year-old son has been obsessed with them since we did them. He even wants to take them to school to have his friends and teachers drop in tablets. He has never been as thrilled with an activity as this one.

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      June 3, 2015 at 9:27 pm

      Oh, that makes me so happy, Lorna! My kids love these too and they keep them entertained for hours!!

      Reply
  19. Natalie says

    October 8, 2015 at 2:50 pm

    So cool and cute!

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      October 14, 2015 at 6:41 am

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  20. Nick says

    December 30, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    What a clever and fun idea to do with the kids. The next time I have the nephews over we’re going to sit down and do this one. Who’s thier favorite Uncle now?

    Reply
  21. Dog Breeds says

    October 25, 2016 at 4:41 am

    It’s so easy to make and all the ingredients are available. Thank you for sharing the fun šŸ˜€

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      October 25, 2016 at 2:46 pm

      You’re welcome!! Who knew they were so easy?! Thanks so much for letting me know!

      Reply
  22. John says

    January 2, 2017 at 6:34 am

    I must say, It was really easy do all the steps. This Christmas wife has made a beautiful lamp at home with your guide. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      January 2, 2017 at 1:41 pm

      That makes me so happy to hear that!! Thank you for letting me know!

      Reply
  23. Jeremy says

    April 27, 2017 at 7:01 am

    Do you leave the tops off while the reaction is going on?

    Reply
    • Lil' Luna says

      April 27, 2017 at 6:44 pm

      I put them on in between šŸ™‚ Hope that helps! Have fun making them!

      Reply
  24. Connie says

    September 25, 2019 at 1:18 pm

    looks like a great idea….how long does the fizz last? wondering if we can use this for a school sale….

    Reply
    • Kristyn Merkley says

      September 25, 2019 at 4:41 pm

      Oh, I wish I could remember! It’s been so long. To make it fizz again, you can add more seltzer tabs, so maybe you can make sure that’s known to anyone who would get one? I’m sorry..I wish I remembered! It doesn’t go away fast, that I do remember. Good luck!

      Reply
  25. Bobby bulb says

    January 15, 2020 at 6:22 am

    tHERE is nothing quite like getting kids involved in creative projects, the more you can get them off there phone the better. we are thinking of starting up a creative workshop locally for kids under 13,

    Reply
    • Lil'Luna Team says

      January 15, 2020 at 11:03 am

      I agree!! That would be so awesome!

      Reply

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I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty ā€œLil’ Lunasā€ in the fam.

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