We can learn in family while having fun. This is the philosophy in our kids club smilecatch. Activities able to develop your children while having fun.

1. FUN ACTIVITIES TO DO
WITH CHILDREN

2. make a tornado
in a bottle
Looking for a fun science project to do with your
kids?
Make your own mini tornado!
Want to observe a tornado vortex without getting
anywhere near a real tornado?
We’ll show you how to make a tornado in a bottle, using
two bottles and duct tape. You and your kids will see how
a tornado is formed by creating one yourselves. It’s easy!
Play & Learn.
Tornadoes are fascinating things to kids of all ages.
Explore the science behind this terrifying and amazing
weather phenomenon with your kids and create your own tornado
in a bottle.

3. Materials
You will need:
• Two plastic 1-liter bottles, one filled with water
• Pitcher
• Bowl or other container
• Paper
• Pencil or pen
• Stopwatch or watch with a second hand
• Duct tape
• Metal washer
Preparation time:
About 10 minutes
Activity time:
Varies: this experiment doesn’t take long to build, but it will keep the
kids occupied for quite a while
Location:
Use the kitchen table or bathtub; you can also do this experiment
outside

4. preparation
1. Prepare your experiment
1. Gather your materials and set up your workspace.
2. You and your kids can do this experiment in the kitchen
where you have a sink nearby, or outside near the garden hose.
3. Remove the labels from the soda bottles so you have
a clear view of the inside, and you’re ready to get started.

5. Test the methods
2. Test the glug-glug method
You’ll want to keep a table of all of your results. Call this
one the Glug-Glug method.
• Fill a soda bottle to the top with water.
• Without squeezing the sides of the bottle, turn it
over. Time how long it takes to empty all of the water. You
might want to repeat this several times to validate
your results.
• Note: If you have more than one child, they can take turns
timing and turning over the bottle.
• Do the test 3 times, and write down the results each
time. Average the results (add them up and divide by 3).
• Be sure to use the same amount of water for each of
the trials.
• Note: Empty the water into a tub or bowl so you can reuse
the water.

6. Test the methods
3. Test the vortex method
Take a new sheet of paper for the results of this test. Call this
one the Vortex method.
• Fill the bottle to the top with water just as you
did before.
• However, this time swirl the water by moving the
bottle in a clockwise or counter-clockwise
motion while the water is pouring out. Keep
swirling the water until you see the formation of what
looks like a tornado! The water begins to swirl in the
shape of a vortex and flows out of the bottle very
quickly.
• Time this method as you did before, and write
down the results of the Vortex method. Taking
turns, repeat the test several times, and again
average the results.
Compare your results. Which method allows the water to
exit the bottle more quickly? Why do you think so? This is
another opportunity to talk tornados with your kids before
moving on to the next step

7. Make the tornado
4. Make a tornado in a bottle
• Now that you’ve tested the Glug-Glug and Vortex
methods, it’s time to create a tornado in a bottle.
• Fill a one-liter bottle to the top with water.
• Put a metal washer that fits flush (or as closely as
possible) onto the mouth of the one-liter bottle.
• Place another one-liter bottle on top of the water-
filled bottle, so that the washer sits in place between
the two.
• Use duct tape and tape the two bottles and
washer in place. Make sure that the connection is as
sturdy as possible and that the duct tape does not allow
any bending.

8. Make the tornado
4. Make a tornado in a bottle
• Turn the apparatus over so that the filled bottle is on top
and swirl the water. The water will form a tornado and drain into
the other bottle.
• You and your kids can test different motions—clockwise vs.
counterclockwise—and see if it times out differently.
• Plus, this tornado in a bottle is one you never have to refill.

9. Test variations
5. Test it further with variations
• Spice up your tornado in a bottle with these variations.
Before you try my ideas, ask your kids if they have
ideas of their own.
• Twist of Color: Add 2 ounces of colored lamp oil to the
water.
• Note: Lamp oil is available at most department stores where
oil lamps are sold. The oil will float on the surface of the
water because oil is less dense than water.

10. Test variations
5. Test it further with variations
• When the oil and water swirl together, the less-dense oil
travels down the vortex first and creates a “colored
tornado” effect.
• Bubbly Vortex: For a fizzy effect, add a squirt of dish soap
to the water. As the twister drains from one bottle to the
other, the top bottle will fill with soapy bubbles!
• Styrofoam Storm: Add some debris to your twister for a
dramatic effect. You can use small items like confetti or glitter or
even Monopoly houses and hotels, but our personal favorite is
tiny Styrofoam balls.
This is cool and shows that as the bottom bottle
fills with water, the top bottle is filling with
air.

11. Understand it
6. How does it work?
• If you’ve ever seen a dust devil on a windy day or watched the
water drain from the bathtub, you’ve seen a vortex.
• A vortex is a type of motion that causes liquids and gases
to travel in spirals around a centerline. A vortex is created
when a rotating liquid falls through an opening. Gravity is the force
that pulls the liquid into the hole and a continuous vortex develops.
• If you swirl the water in the bottle while pouring it out, it causes a
vortex to form. That vortex looks like a tornado in the bottle.
The formation of the vortex makes it easier for air to come into the
bottle and allows the water to pour out faster.
Look carefully and you’ll be able to see the hole in the
middle of the vortex that allows the air to come up inside
the bottle. If you don’t swirl the water and just allow it to
flow out on its own, then the air and water have to
essentially take turns passing through the mouth of the
bottle, thus the glug-glug sound.

12. See you in next games!