Ocean in a Bottle

(Sensory Bottles)

Instructions

Prepare your bottle:

  • Remove any labels from your bottle.

  • If needed, use a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol to get off any excess glue

Assembly:

  • Fill your bottle half way up with water

  • Add food color of choice

  • Slowly fill the rest of your bottle with the oil, leaving a little at the top

  • Drop in any additional add-ins

  • Add glue to the threads and screw the top on as tight as you can

  • You can also wrap some electrical or duct tape around the top

Observation:

  • Rock, tilt, and shake the bottle to enjoy the fascinating, elegant wave patterns!

Materials

  • Bottle (plastic or glass. Voss water bottles work well. We recommend 1 litter or smaller)

  • Water

  • Food Coloring

  • Mineral Oil or Baby Oil (any oil will work in a pinch)

  • water insoluble glue and/or electrical or duct tape

Optional

  • Add-ins like

    • glitter

    • sand

    • shells

    • water beads

    • buttons

    • legos

Questions:

  • What happens to to the water when you move the bottle?

  • Why do you think the oil and water separate into layers?

  • Which liquid is denser, water or oil?

  • If you have add-ins, why do some items sink and others float?

  • What do you think would happen is you added salt to the water?

What is happening?

The "ocean in a bottle" experiment works because of the principles of density and immiscibility. Oil is less dense than water, causing it to float on top, and the two liquids are immiscible, meaning they don't mix. When you shake or tilt the bottle, the movement of the two separate layers creates a visual effect that mimics ocean waves.