Mad Science Monday: Chanukah Science with Oil and Water

It's Monday! And if you're looking for a Chanukah themed science activity to infuse your winter break with the joy and light of the holiday, here's a fun--and meaningful--one you can explore. Perhaps one of the greatest miracles of the Chanukah story was that the small amount of oil salvaged from the ruins of the Beis Hamikdash that was seemingly only enough to light the menorah for one day, lasted for eight days and nights. This is the reason we light our Chanukah menorahs for eight nights and also the reason we eat some many delicious oily foods this time of year. The miracle greater than that--the one that we are called upon as Jewish people to repeat and relive again and again--was the miracle that although was that in the face of adversity, fear and even temptation, we maintained our Jewish identity of learning Torah and performing mitzvos. One of my favorite Chanukah-themed science explorations to do with children that can demonstrate this concept visually is to work with oil and water.

Chanukah Oil & Water Sciene/Sensory Bottle
Question: Do oil and water mix?
This year my own little guy was old enough to help make his own oil and water Chanukah sensory bottle. When I have taught in preschool classrooms, this is a great experiment to perform in the classroom and send each student home with. You can take one for the team (and drink a LOT of Gatorade or water) to provide recycled bottles for the class, or students can bring in and donate empty bottles. I particularly like the small Gatorade bottles because they are made from a harder plastic that is seemingly indestructible after lots of vigorous shaking and they are a wonderful size for little hands.
Before we began, I shared a short version of the Chanukah story with my little one. We gathered our materials together. I let my little helper assist in choosing some of the small items we would put inside the sensory bottle and choose the color we would dye the water. Next I posed our question: do oil and water mix together? My junior scientist predicted that they would not mix. (He helps me bake a lot and I tend to point out science in action in the kitchen!) You may wish to record predictions, the process and results of your experiment in a journal or on paper.

You will need:

• empty recycled plastic bottle with cap
• water (enough to fill about 3/4 of the way)
• food color or liquid water color if you wish to dye the water
• vegetable oil (enough to fill about 1/4 of the bottle)
• filler items like glitter, sequins, small beads, a small dreidel, a Chanukah candle, gems, etc.
• duct tape and/or hot glue gun to permanently seal the top when you are done
• a plastic funnel for easier pouring

Directions:

1. I had my junior scientist first add in the filler items we chose--this time some small plastic beads, a dreidel and some glitter.
2. He helped me pour in the blue water. (He chose the color and I'd already added a few drops of food dye to the water.)
3. He helped pour in the oil.
4. We watched and observed the oil bubble and rise to the top. We wanted to know if this would remain even after a good shake. I sealed the bottle tightly with duct tape and he gave it a good shake. He even asked me to shake it, too! Sure enough, even with lots of bubbles, that oil rose right back up to the top. What if we turned it upside down? The oil rose back up to the top! 

Just like the Jewish people, the oil rises above its surroundings. So, too, must we always rise above things that are hard or scary or just plain tempting and continue to learn Torah and do mitzvos! This is a beautiful Chanukah lesson and science exploration neatly stored in the portable case of an empty recycled bottle! Little hands will love to shake it, flip it, and share the lesson at your Chanukah table.

Want to do more? Working with oil and water can be fun and beautiful as well in a larger exploration area if you're brave enough to weather the potential overflow. We brought our water table indoors to the kitchen and tossed down an old towel beneath it. I set up a simple invitation to explore with some colored and clear water, some oil, and a variety of containers for pouring and mixing. I let my little guy experience it hands on with minimal input and observed his process.

I provided containers ready to go with oil,
oil AND water, and just water, mixed with
food color in shades that will mix well.

He LOVED squeezing the oil and oil/water mixtures out of the bottles.
When he asked for "more 'poil'" (I don't know why he calls it "poil,"
but for now it's too cute not to share!) I showed him how to squeeze
the bottle and slurp the liquids back up again.

Looking for a less oily Chanukah science option that will be worthy of hanging on your wall when you're done (or giving as a festive gift)? Try your hand at the science of using heat to melt wax with crayon art!

You will need:

• a blank canvas
• old (or new) crayons--I found through trial (and ERROR) that Crayola brand crayons work the best. After a science flop in the classroom last year (which is STILL SCIENCE!) using generic brand crayons, I learned that the actual wax content of a crayon makes a difference in how it melts!
• low temperature hot glue gun
• blow dryer

Prior to beginning the experiment, glue your crayons onto the canvas. If you wish you can unwrap them first. Older children with supervision can assist in using the low temperature hot glue gun to glue the crayons on next to each other spanning across the top of the canvas.

Using the blow dryer (you'll want to make sure the glue has dried ahead of time, perhaps even overnight if you're worried about crayons falling off), apply hot air directly toward the crayons. As the crayons get hotter, they will "sweat" and melt beautiful colors down the canvas. You'll want to work in a covered area in case of splatters and drips and also be cautious with little ones and splatters can be hot! You can talk with your junior scientists about what causes candles to burn and crayons to melt (fire/heat) and identify items that are made from wax.

Have a happy, colorful and scientific Chanukah! May your season be full of light, miracles and plenty of playing!