We had so much fun making our Shaving Cream Thunderstorms, that we decided to stick with the weather theme and create a Tornado in a Jar! Learning about tornadoes was a natural transition, since they typically originate from cumulonimbus (or thunderstorm) clouds. While we see our fair share of thunderstorms during the summer months, we have thankfully never experienced the destruction of a tornado. It’s an added benefit of living close to the mountains, where it’s more difficult for tornadoes to fully form.
Since our little nugget has never seen a real tornado, I pulled up a few YouTube videos for her to watch, so that she knew exactly what we were trying to emulate during our experiment.
A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air, that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth, as well as the clouds above. Most tornadoes have wind speeds of less than 100 miles per hour, and travel a few miles before disappearing. But some extreme tornadoes can reach speeds over 300 miles per hour, and travel more than 100 miles. And did you know that the majority of the world’s tornadoes occur right here in the United States? The US averages around 1,200 tornadoes each year…most of which occur in what is known as “Tornado Alley” which stretches from Texas, all the way up to North Dakota.
Another little known tornado fact…tornadoes typically spin in a counterclockwise direction in the northern hemisphere of the Earth, and they spin in a clockwise direction in the southern hemisphere.
Ok…that’s enough fun facts about tornadoes…let’s get to the experiment!
I came across this Tornado in a Jar experiment over on Kirstie’s @littlehandsbigimagination Instagram feed. And I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the experiment only requires just a few household items. Easy, right? I must admit, that while this experiment is really quite simple, I had a tough time producing a tornado…at first. So, in order to alleviate those issues for you, here are the hiccups that I ran into:
- The need for proper ingredient measurements. Kristie’s post states to add a generous amount of dish soap. Generous to me means a few big squirts, but as I later discovered…you only need to add 1 teaspoon of dish soap (and 1 teaspoon of vinegar).
- I initially intended to use a mason jar for this experiment, and after several unsuccessful attempts (even with the correct ingredient measurements), I decided to ask Google for help. As it turns out, mason jars don’t always work for this experiment, because they are not completely round (their corners tend to be more squared). So, I decided to gather one of our go-to (and completely circular) Voss water bottles (that we use for all of our sensory bottles). It worked like a charm!
After a few minor adjustments, I was finally able to swirl the bottle and produce a tornado! Our little nugget came bolting back to the table to watch (she had since given up on our efforts, and wandered off to find something better to do). π Once the tornadoes were in full force, she was fully engaged!
Tornado in a Jar
Supplies:
- Clear Bottle or Jar (make sure it is completely circular)
- Water
- 1 Drop Blue Food Coloring (you don’t want to use too much, or the water will be too dark to see the tornado)
- 1 tsp. Dish Soap
- 1 tsp. Vinegar
Instructions:
- Fill the clear bottle or jar with water, leaving at least 1″ of space at the top.
- Add 1 drop of blue food coloring, and swirl to incorporate.
- Add the dish soap and vinegar.
- Cap the bottle, and make sure the lid is tight and secure.
- Hold the bottle by the lid and rotate it in a quick, but steady, circular motion for several seconds…until a vortex begins to form.
- Set the bottle down on a flat surface and watch the tornado in action!
We had a lot of fun making tornadoes, after all of our early trial-and-error. But it was a good lesson for our little nugget (and myself)…NEVER GIVE UP! All of that waiting patiently, combined with the numerous tornado creations, just might have made her a bit goofier than normal (as you can see in the above video). π
And as it turns out…if you let your tornado bottle sit undisturbed for a couple of hours…it turns into a super cool sensory bottle! To be honest, this unexpected surprise may have been my favorite part of this little experiment. I could sit and watch all of the beautiful and glittery swirls floating around in the bottle all day long! Couldn’t you?
Have you and your kiddos ever made a tornado in a jar? I would love to hear all of your tips and tricks, in the comments below.
