Do you think you can make a cloud?
We found a way to make one in a jar.
You will need your adult to help you
with this experiment because you will
need boiling water.
What you need:
• Your adult
• A glass jar
• Boiling water
• Ice
• Aerosol hairspray
• Jar lid or paper plate
How you do it:
• With your adult, fill the jar with
1-2 inches of boiling water
• Carefully swirl the water inside
of the jar to heat the sides of the
glass jar
• Place the lid upside down on top of
the jar. If you don't have a lid, use a
paper plate.
• Fill the lid with ice
• Let the lid with ice sit on top of the
jar for a few minutes
• Quickly lift the lid and spray a bit of
hairspray into the jar
• Quickly place the lid with ice back
on the jar
You should immediately notice a
cloud forming in the jar! In a few
minutes the cloud will fill the entire jar.
It might be easier to see the cloud
if there is a dark background behind
the jar,
What causes the clouds to form
in the jar?
The warm wet air rises from the
boiling water in the jar. When the
warm air meets the cold air at the top
of the jar is creates water droplets that
form together to create a cloud.
The hairspray creates the particles in
the air like the dust, dirt and sea salt
naturally in the air. The particles give
the droplets something to cling to and
form the cloud.
What do you think will happen if
you put food coloring in the water?
Will the cloud be colored?
STEAM ACTIVITY:
littlebinsforlittlehands.com/cloud-in-a-jar/
IN A JAR
46 • Of f icialKidsMag.com • JANUARY 2020
