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in Halloween STEM Activities· STEM Activities

Bubbling Spider Leg Halloween Lava Lamp

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We’ve put a spooky twist on the classic lava lamp experiment by adding spider legs to the mix to make a dancing spider science experiment. Kids will love this Halloween lava lamp!

We've put a spooky twist on the classic lava lamp experiment by adding spider legs to the mix to make a dancing spider science experiment. Kids will love this Halloween lava lamp!

Halloween. It’s the time for witch costumes, pumpkin heads, and STEM activities.

You might not think that the last thing fits in the list, but it turns out, there are so many fun Halloween STEM activities that you can try leading up to the spookiest holiday.

Halloween science and STEM activities are one of our favorite ways to bring STEM and science into every holiday.

halloween lava lamp stem activity

Don’t miss the complete list of Halloween science experiments!

We’ve always wanted to try making the classic alka seltzer lava lamp, but never had.

We decided to give it a Halloween twist by adding “spider legs” to the mix.

How to Make a Halloween Lava Lamp

 halloween stem challenges 

This Halloween science experiment is simple and requires no upfront time investment, which is great for busy parents and teachers!

This project is one of our numerous Halloween science projects that would also be a fun way to keep kids busy at a Halloween party.

What you’ll need for the bubbling spider leg potion:

Halloween science projects are the perfect way to introduce science to kids. This spider leg potion is a creepy twist on a classic science experiment.
  • Alka seltzer tablets (the more the better, the kids loved dropping them in repeatedly)
  • Oil (we used rice oil)
  • Food coloring (we used red)
  • Chocolate sprinkles (these are the spider legs)
  • Science beakers (we used this set)

Halloween Lava Lamp Science

halloween lava lamp experiment

As you can tell when you set this up, water is heavier than oil. Intermolecular polarity keeps things separated (basically, oil and water molecules don’t like mixing).

But when the alka seltzer tablet is added, it creates gas when it dissolves. When the gas rises, it takes some of the water (and spider legs) along with it.

The blobs of water/gas reach the surface of the water and when the gas escapes, the water blob falls back to the bottom of the beaker.

Creating a Spooky Lava Lamp

halloween lava lamp science experiment

First, fill your beakers about 2/3 of the way full with your rice oil.

Add enough water to fill the bottom up about 2-3 inches, depending on the size of your containers.

Halloween science projects are the perfect way to introduce science to kids. This spider leg potion is a creepy twist on a classic science experiment.

Add food coloring to the oil and watch it descend through the oil into the water.

The kids thought this was almost as interesting as the potion itself. It reminded me of our rainfall science experiment we did a few years ago.

Add about 1/8 of a cup of chocolate sprinkles per beaker.

Halloween science projects are the perfect way to introduce science to kids. This spider leg potion is a creepy twist on a classic science experiment.

Let everything settle and mix on its own. Don’t touch anything, it will all resolve on its own.

Once the water is completely separated from the oil, add your alka seltzer tablets to the water.

Halloween science projects are the perfect way to introduce science to kids. This spider leg potion is a creepy twist on a classic science experiment.

We divided our tablets into four pieces and dropped in one piece at a time. The water bubbled up into the oil, and so did the spider legs.

It was the perfect mix of science and spooky just like we were hoping.

More Halloween Science Projects

Jiggly and Gross Jello Worms

Brain Surgery STEM Activity

Design a Monster Engineering Activity

Find more amazing Halloween STEAM activities in the STEAM Kids Halloween book!

 halloween stem challenges 

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Filed Under: Halloween STEM Activities, STEM Activities Tagged With: elementary, halloween

About Brenda Priddy

Brenda grew up thinking she hated science. But when her 4-year- old daughter was more interested in reading science facts than fairy tales, Brenda realized she had to learn more. Through simple at-home science experiments, Brenda developed a passion for science and now works as a STEMed advocate with a team of science educators to create hands-on STEM projects and curriculum for kids.

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What is STEAM?

STEAM activities for kids promote the idea that science, technology, engineering, art, and math can all work together to help kids become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators!

Join us on our journey to discover just how much fun science experiments can be.

What we do… 

STEAMsational offers STEM and science lesson plans and teaching resources to provide a firm STEM foundation for children in the classroom or home.

All you need to do is find your supplies, gather your scientists, and let the innovation unfold.

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