FUN ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH CHILDREN

make a tornado

in a bottle

Looking for a fun science project to do with your kids? Make your own mini tornado!

Want to observe a tornado vortex without getting anywhere near a real tornado?

We’ll show you how to make a tornado in a bottle, using two bottles and duct tape. You and your kids will see how a tornado is formed by creating one yourselves. It’s easy!

Play & Learn. Tornadoes are fascinating things to kids of all ages.

Explore the science behind this terrifying and amazing weather phenomenon with your kids and create your own tornado in a bottle.

Materials You will need:

• Two plastic 1-liter bottles, one filled with water

• Pitcher

• Bowl or other container

• Paper

• Pencil or pen

• Stopwatch or watch with a second hand

• Duct tape

• Metal washer

Preparation time: About 10 minutes

Activity time: Varies: this experiment doesn’t take long to build, but it will keep the kids occupied for quite a while

Location: Use the kitchen table or bathtub; you can also do this experiment outside

preparation 1. Prepare your experiment

1. Gather your materials and set up your workspace.

2. You and your kids can do this experiment in the kitchen where you have a sink nearby, or outside near the garden hose.

3. Remove the labels from the soda bottles so you have a clear view of the inside, and you’re ready to get started.

Test the methods 2. Test the glug-glug method

You’ll want to keep a table of all of your results. Call this one the Glug-Glug method.

• Fill a soda bottle to the top with water.

• Without squeezing the sides of the bottle, turn it over. Time how long it takes to empty all of the water. You

might want to repeat this several times to validate your results.

• Note: If you have more than one child, they can take turns timing and turning over the bottle.

• Do the test 3 times, and write down the results each

time. Average the results (add them up and divide by 3).

• Be sure to use the same amount of water for each of the trials.

• Note: Empty the water into a tub or bowl so you can reuse the water.

Test the methods 3. Test the vortex method Take a new sheet of paper for the results of this test. Call this one the Vortex method.

• Fill the bottle to the top with water just as you did before.

• However, this time swirl the water by moving the bottle in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion while the water is pouring out. Keep swirling the water until you see the formation of what looks like a tornado! The water begins to swirl in the shape of a vortex and flows out of the bottle very quickly.

• Time this method as you did before, and write down the results of the Vortex method. Taking

turns, repeat the test several times, and again average the results.

Compare your results. Which method allows the water to

exit the bottle more quickly? Why do you think so? This is another opportunity to talk tornados with your kids before moving on to the next step

Make the tornado 4. Make a tornado in a bottle

• Now that you’ve tested the Glug-Glug and Vortex methods, it’s time to create a tornado in a bottle.

• Fill a one-liter bottle to the top with water.

• Put a metal washer that fits flush (or as closely as possible) onto the mouth of the one-liter bottle.

• Place another one-liter bottle on top of the water-filled bottle, so that the washer sits in place between the two.

• Use duct tape and tape the two bottles and washer in place. Make sure that the connection is as sturdy as possible and that the duct tape does not allow any bending.

Make the tornado 4. Make a tornado in a bottle

• Turn the apparatus over so that the filled bottle is on top

and swirl the water. The water will form a tornado and drain into

the other bottle.

• You and your kids can test different motions—clockwise vs. counterclockwise—and see if it times out differently.

• Plus, this tornado in a bottle is one you never have to refill.

Test variations 5. Test it further with variations

• Spice up your tornado in a bottle with these variations.

Before you try my ideas, ask your kids if they have ideas of their own.

• Twist of Color: Add 2 ounces of colored lamp oil to the water.

• Note: Lamp oil is available at most department stores where oil lamps are sold. The oil will float on the surface of the water because oil is less dense than water.

Test variations 5. Test it further with variations

• When the oil and water swirl together, the less-dense oil

travels down the vortex first and creates a “colored tornado” effect.

• Bubbly Vortex: For a fizzy effect, add a squirt of dish soap to the water. As the twister drains from one bottle to the other, the top bottle will fill with soapy bubbles!

• Styrofoam Storm: Add some debris to your twister for a

dramatic effect. You can use small items like confetti or glitter or even Monopoly houses and hotels, but our personal favorite is tiny Styrofoam balls.

This is cool and shows that as the bottom bottle

fills with water, the top bottle is filling with air.

Understand it 6. How does it work?

• If you’ve ever seen a dust devil on a windy day or watched the water drain from the bathtub, you’ve seen a vortex.

• A vortex is a type of motion that causes liquids and gases to travel in spirals around a centerline. A vortex is created when a rotating liquid falls through an opening. Gravity is the force that pulls the liquid into the hole and a continuous vortex develops.

• If you swirl the water in the bottle while pouring it out, it causes a

vortex to form. That vortex looks like a tornado in the bottle. The formation of the vortex makes it easier for air to come into the bottle and allows the water to pour out faster.

Look carefully and you’ll be able to see the hole in the middle of the vortex that allows the air to come up inside the bottle. If you don’t swirl the water and just allow it to flow out on its own, then the air and water have to essentially take turns passing through the mouth of the bottle, thus the glug-glug sound.

See you in next games!