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, it 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 which forms the cloud.
What do you think will happen if you put food coloring in the water? Will the cloud be colored? Give it a shot and let us know in the comments!
This STEAM activity was provided by littlebinsforlittlehands.com/cloud-in-a-jar/.