How to Make a Glitter Globe
Make a fantastic toy that shimmers when you shake it!
Here’s how.
What do I need?
- Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
- Vegetable Oil
- A plastic container or glass jar with an interesting shape
- Small beads, sequins, glitter or other tiny, shiny things
- Food coloring (if you want)
- Clear tape (if you want)
What do I do?
- Fill about ¼ of the jar with rubbing alcohol. Add a drop of food coloring
- Pour vegetable oil into the jar. Leave about ½ an inch of air at the top of the jar. Let the globs of oil settle.
- Drop tiny, shiny things into the jar. Use as many as you want. Don’t use anything too heavy -like a marble-that might break the jar when you shake it.
- When all the tiny things are in the jar, carefully pour in more oil until the jar is completely full - right up to the rim.
- Screw the lid of the jar on very tightly. Put tape around the lid so it won’t leak.
- Gently shake the jar.
- Let the oil settle again. That will take about 5 or 10 minutes. Now spin the jar instead of shaking it. What happens?
Special thanks to the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco for this project.
