1. Science Experiment for Kids
Tornado in a Bottle
Learn how to make a tornado in a bottle with this fun science experiment for kids. Using easy
to find items such as water, PVC pipe, soda bottles, tape or glue, and glitter (optional) you
can make your own mini tornado that’s a lot safer than one you might see on the weather
channel. Follow the instructions and enjoy the cool water vortex you create!
What you'll need:
• Water
• 2 – 2 Liter empty soda bottles
• 1 – 1 ½ inch long ½” PVC pipe
• Glitters (optional)
• Tape or glue
How to make your Tornado in a Bottle
• Fill one soda bottle with water until there is only one inch from the neck
• Sprinkle in ½ tsp of glitter (optional, this makes the tornado a little easier to see)
• Put tape around the pre-cut PVC pipe, and push the pipe through the bottle half way through the
pipe (tape is used for reinforcement to prevent leakage)
• Optionally glue can be used
• Slowly connect the mouth of the second soda bottle to the PVC pipe, make sure it doesn’t force
the pipe down the lower bottle
• Once the bottles are secure, use tape to seal the junction as needed
• Turn the bottle upside down and QUICKLY spin the upper bottle in a circular motion for a few
seconds
• Stop to look inside and you can see a tornado, or sometimes two, forming in the water
What’s happening?
Spinning the bottle in a circular motion creates a water vortex that looks like a mini tornado. The
water rapidly spins around the center of the vortex due to centripetal force (an inward force directing
an object or fluid such as water towards the center of its circular path). Vortexes found in nature
include tornadoes, hurricanes and waterspouts (a tornado that forms over water).
