Marble Color Mixing Discovery Bottle | Still Playing School

Marble Color Mixing Discovery Bottle

Sensory play doesn't have to be messy or expensive! You can even use a recycled jar for play in this discovery bottle that contains the mess. Try this to experience color mixing in a unique way!


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We were thrilled when Preschool Inspirations invited us to take part in a series on economical discovery bottles! We love using recycled products and ingredients from the dollar store in play and learning activities. 


To create a Marble Color Mixing Discovery Bottle you will need:

- a clean plastic jar with lid
- shaving cream
- liquid watercolors or food coloring
- marbles
- eye droppers (optional)

You can get shaving cream, food coloring, and marbles at the dollar store! Since the rest of the items were recycled you can create several versions of this discovery bottle for under $5.


Spray the shaving cream into your jar. We are using a recycled jar for this activity instead of a bottle because it is easier to fill the wide opening of a jar with shaving cream. Drop one primary color on one side of the jar and the other color on the opposite side. Add a few marbles.


Glue the lid on if you want to guaruntee that your bottle won't be opened. We didn't choose to glue ours as I was supervising the activity. We also wanted to redo the pretty mixing with several different colors.


Now, start moving that bottle around! We had so much fun rolling the jar back and forth to each other. Our preschooler E even blew it across the table! Make observations and discuss the movement of the bottle and how the marbles are moving inside the viscous shaving cream.


The primary colors will slowly start blending together to make a secondary color! The kids love this process.


Children may make predictions about color combinations. Red and blue make purple!


We washed out the jar to begin again. This time we tried yellow and blue to create green. 


The viscosity of the shaving cream slows down the color mixing for closer observation and discovery!


The more marbles you add, the faster the colors will mix. If you have a classroom of children you can work on cooperation and teamwork as you pass the bottle around for color mixing!


The rainbow results of this dollar store discovery bottle are truly mesmerizing. We bet you can't stop after you make one!


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2 comments :

  1. This makes me think of marble painting in a sensory bottle, and it is GENIUS! We can't wait to try it!!

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  2. What a terrific idea! We've been experimenting with color theory all month, and this activity will be the perfect addition. (And, can I just say that your daughter is ADORABLE!)

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