The New Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment

I have admired the traditional Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment ever since I first saw it several years ago. My oldest son and I have made it together many times, and we always enjoy it. I have been wanting to create my own version, and I finally came up with something I liked!

The Traditional Experiment

In the traditional version, a jar is filled with water and topped with a shaving cream “cloud”. Next, you add water to a small dish and put in a few drops of blue food coloring. Finally, using a pipette or dropper, you drop the blue water into the cloud and when it hits saturation it “rains” down into the water below. It’s a fun experiment to do with small children, and you can explain how rain occurs.

One thing that has always bothered me about the traditional experiment is that it only lasts a few minutes before the clear water in the jar becomes saturated with blue coloring. I wanted to figure out a way around this so that the fun can last even longer, and I came up with a super easy solution!

My New Experiment

In my New Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment, my jar is filled with baby oil. That’s the only difference! I filled the jar with baby oil, topped it with a shaving cream “cloud”, and dropped in blue-tinted water. The first time I tried this, I was very pleased with the way the blue water “rain” looked as it fell through the baby oil “sky”. But, using a dropper just didn’t create enough raindrops for my taste.

I used a push pin to poke holes in the lid of an old plastic bottle. Then, I filled it with water and added blue food coloring. When I turned the bottle upside down over the jar of oil, drops fell from each of the holes, creating a beautiful rain!

Also, I like creating the shaving cream rain cloud, and then scooping out the middle so that the drops fall straight into the oil. It’s just faster and easier this way. Personal preference.

This experiment is extra cool because you can use it to teach multiple concepts. There is the traditional lesson about how rain forms and falls from clouds. Then, there is the lesson about the density of oil vs. water. And, if enough water is dropped into the jar, it even looks like an ocean forms in the bottom. So, you could discuss the entire water cycle!

After I had dialed in all of the details of my New Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment, I invited my little one to come give it a try. We tried both the dropper and the bottle. The dropper was easier for him, because his little hands weren’t quite strong enough to squeeze the bottle. He had fun trying both, though, and has already asked to do this experiment again! I’d call that a success!

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If you are interested in trying the New Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment, here is what I used:

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• Glass jar (Amazon)
• Fill 3/4 of the way with baby oil (Amazon)
• Top with shaving cream (Amazon)
• Mix water with blue food coloring (Amazon)
• Use a dropper to drop the water into the jar (Amazon)

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Thank you for checking out my New Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment!

“Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew,
as the droplets on the fresh grass and as the showers on the herb.”

Deuteronomy 32:2

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