Waves in a Bottle

(Open ended play)

Young children love the sea along with its irrestible waves. But if you live rather far from the sea, or if the sea waters nearby seem a little too rough, here’s a delightful way to bring the sea home, by making waves in a bottle! This project is a simple yet great way to build up those young observational skills and get your kiddo excited about science.

Materials:

-bottle with lid, we used glass one

-dishwashing soap

-water

-funnel

-food coloring, we used blue

-a tray

Instruction:

-present the material in front of your kiddo

-mix: water, soap, and food coloring, use the funnel if necessary

-let your kiddo explore freely

First she poured in a bottle of water and a few drop of dish washing soap. Pouring is essentially enjoyable for young kids. Y definitely loves her collapsible funnel. We stirred a very small amount of blue food colouring into some water, stirred it through to make sure it was light blue, and added a little more to dilute it until it was just right. If your kiddo tend to open the lid, it should be sealed securely shut.

I asked her “What do you think would happen if we shake it?”

She was throwing her favorite gesture following a question these days by humming “Hmm,” and put her point finger by her side chin as if she was thinking (hard).

I told her “Would you shake it to see what happen?”

“Yes!”

And the bottle was shaken vigorously. I wish I had her picture playing, but I was so focused supervising so she wouldn’t open the lid and accidentally drink the soapy water. Unreasonable worries, since she somehow didn’t interest to open the lid. These pictures were taken after she was done.

She was ecstatic. Bubbles emerged, random chaotic weaves ensued. She tried tipping the bottle from side to side to make some waves and large bubbles. She even swished the bottle back and forth, side to side. “Look at what’s happening—there's a sea in the bottle! Can you see the waves?”

“Seeee!” meaning sea, she said.

“Waaaaaaves!” meaning waves, she said.

This waves in a bottle is nicely self-contained, but still wonderfully engaging and a great sensory, scientific and imaginative play tool.

#waves #bottle #toddler #glass #science