How to Make Lava

Lava can be exciting to look at, but unfortunately real lava is very dangerous. Fortunately, it is easy to make lava at home using ingredients you may already have in your kitchen. This article will show you several ways to make your very own lava.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Lava Volcano

1
Gather your supplies. In this project, you will be combining baking soda and vinegar to create a foaming, frothy lava. This lava does not last very long, but it is fun and exciting to watch as it foams out of your volcano. Here is what you will need:
- A homemade volcano, plastic bottle, bowl, cup, or jar
- ½ cup (64 grams) baking soda
- ½ cup (112.50 milliliters) of vinegar
- Food coloring, glow-in-the-dark paint, or fluorescent paint
- Dish soap
- Water
2
Build your volcano. Find a plastic bottle and take the cap off. Set the bottle down on a flat surface and wrap clay around it until you get a cone shape. You can do this by putting more clay on the base of the bottle and less clay at the top. Do not cover the top of the bottle; leave it open so that you can pour the ingredients inside. You can then decorate your volcano with fake plants, rocks, paint, and plastic animals. Let the clay dry before making the lava.
- You can use any type of clay you want. You can also use plasticine or paper mache.
- You can also make a simple "volcano" by using a tall glass or an empty bottle.
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3
Set up your play area. This volcano can get messy. Find a large, shallow bin or tray, and place your bottle or volcano inside it. The bin or tray will catch any lava that flows out of your "volcano."
4
Place a funnel over the bottle or volcano. This will make it easier to pour in all of your ingredients. If you are using something with a wide mouth, such as a bowl, cup, or jar, then you probably will not need the funnel.
5
Pour some baking soda into your container. If the baking soda has clumped up, then place a sieve over the funnel first. The tight netting of the sieve will help break up any clumps of baking soda.
6
Mix your liquid ingredients. You will need at least ½ cup (112.50 milliliters) of vinegar, a few drops of liquid dish soap, and a few drops of water. The more vinegar you use, the more dish soap you will need. The dish soap will not only make the lava fuller, but also make it last longer.^{[1]
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7
Consider making colored or glowing lava. You can make your lava look like real lava by adding a few drops of food coloring to the vinegar. You can also make glowing lava by adding 1 teaspoon of glow-in-the-dark paint or fluorescent paint to the vinegar. Be sure to stir the vinegar well to make sure that the food coloring or paint is completely mixed.^{[2]
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- If you are using glow-in-the-dark paint, you will need to "charge" it by setting it in the sun or under a bright lamp for a few minutes. Once the paint is charged, you will need to turn off the lights in order to make it glow.
- If you are using fluorescent paint, you will need a black light. Once you have the paint and vinegar all mixed, you will need to turn off the regular lights and turn on the black light. You can purchase a black light online or in an arts and crafts store, and switch out one of the light bulbs at home with the black light. If you are a child, please ask an adult to help you with this step.
- You can make your lava any color you want, but red, orange, and yellow will give you the most realistic-looking lava.
- You can make the lava even more exciting by adding in some sparkly glitter!
8
Pour the vinegar into the jar and quickly remove the funnel. You do not need to pour it all in all at once. Even a little bit of vinegar is enough to make the baking soda fizz. Take the funnel off the volcano quickly, or it will stop the lava from coming out!
- If you are using glow-in-the-dark lava, turn off the lights first
- If you are using fluorescent lava, turn off the lights and switch on the black light.
9
Watch the "lava" ooze out of the jar. You can keep adding more vinegar to make the volcano continue "exploding." When the volcano stops exploding, that means you have run out of baking soda.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Lava in a Bag^{[3]
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1
Gather your supplies. Combining water and oil in a bag will create a lava that is fun to squish around. It can last a long time, as long as you keep the bag sealed. Here is what you will need:
- Ziploc bag (or similar re-sealable bag)
- Baby oil
- Glow-in-the-dark paint or fluorescent paint
- Water
2
Pour baby oil into the Ziploc bag. How much oil you use will depend on the size of your Ziploc bag. You will need to fill the bag ¼ to 1/3 full. Do not fill the bag all the way.
- You can also use olive oil or another pale-colored oil. Baby oil, however, is clear and will allow you to see the lava's colors at their best.
3
Prepare your lava. In a small cup, combine 1 part paint and 1 part hot water. Stir until everything is combined. You can use glow-in-the-dark paint or fluorescent paint.^{[4]
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Research source} This will make your lava. You can use any color you like, but reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks will create the most realistic-looking lava.
- Consider adding some glitter to make your lava sparkly.
4
Add the lava to the bag. You will need 1 to 4 tablespoons of lava. Simply measure out the lava and add it to the bag. The lava will not mix with the oil, but form globs instead.
5
Seal the bag tightly. Close the bag partway, and squeeze out as much air as possible before closing the bag the rest of the way. There should be little to no air inside the bag. Make sure that the bag is tightly sealed.
- You can put clear packaging tape over the top of the bag so that it does not open.
6
Play with your lava. You can play with your lava by taking the bag into a dark room, and squishing the bag around with your fingers. The globs of paint will move around! Do not open the bag, or the lava will escape!
- If you made glow-in-the-dark lava, you will need to charge your lava by leaving it in the sun or under a bright lamp for a few minutes.
- If you made fluorescent lava, you will need to use a black light. Simply turn off the regular lights and switch on your black light. The fluorescent lava will then glow.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making a Lava Lamp^{[5]
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1
Gather your materials. In this project, you will be using Alka-Seltzer and water to create a lava-lamp effect. Here is what you will need:
- A bottle, jar, or tall glass
- Baby oil
- Water
- Food coloring
- Alka-Seltzer or an antacid tablet
2
Choose a container for your lava. You can make your lava lamp in a bottle, jar, or a tall glass. If you use a bottle or jar, however, you will be able to seal your lava lamp and use it again and again by swirling the liquid around inside.
3
Fill the jar 2/3 of the way with baby oil. If you do not have baby oil, you can use olive oil or another pale-colored oil instead. Baby oil, however, is clear and will let you see the colors of the lava better.
4
Pour the water on top of the oil. Do not fill your container all the way. Instead, leave about 1 inch of space between the water and the top of the jar.^{[6]
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5
Add a few drops of food coloring. This will make the lava more visible. You can use any color you want, but reds, oranges, and yellows will create the most lava-like effect. You can only use one color however; if you use all three colors, they will mix together and make orange.
6
Wait for the lava to settle. After a few minutes, the water and food coloring will sink to the bottom of the jar, and the oil will float to the top. The food coloring will mix into the water by itself when it sinks to the bottom of the jar.
7
Break the Alka-Seltzer into smaller pieces. You can break the tablet in half, or you can break it into fourths.
8
Drop the Alka-Seltzer into the jar. The Alka-Seltzer will sink to the bottom, and cause the colored water to bubble and fizz. The bubbles will float to the top of the jar, creating a lava lamp-like effect. You can drop another piece of Alka-Seltzer to create more bubbles.
9
Consider keeping your lava lamp. When you have run out of Alka-Seltzer, you can still continue using your lava by putting the lid on the jar or a cap on the bottle. If you used a glass, you can pour everything into a jar or bottle. Gently turn the jar upside down and back and forth. The colored water will come together into a large glob (o several smaller goblets) and float in the oil. It will look like lava!
- If you used a bottle, simply twist the cap onto the bottle.
- If you made your lava lamp in a cup, you can pour the liquid into a jar of bottle using a funnel, and then close the jar or bottle tightly.

Community Q&A

Question

How is real lava very dangerous? Would real lava make you very scared and/or very stressed?

TomPN

Top Answerer

Real lava is liquid rock, and is at temperatures over 1000 degrees. In addition, it emits various toxic gases, so it would make you very scared AND very stressed, and in short order it would make you very dead.
Question

How much time will it take to make a lava lamp?

Community Answer

It should take about 10 minutes for your lamp to set up. After the lamp is set up, you shouldn't have to do anything else; although you might have to shake the lamp to have the "lava" move around.
Question

Can I still make it look like lava when I run out of alka-seltzer?

Community Answer

Yes. Just use vinegar and baking soda.