Making a Tornado in a Bottle Copy

Tornadoes! Tornadoes! They are a common weather occurrence in many areas of the country. This tool will allow students to construct a concrete model of this weather event. It will help students to understand the power and effects of a tornado better. This is an easy and fun educational project for first graders.

Required Resources

• Plastic bottle with lid, such as a 16 oz. coke bottle or water bottle
• Food coloring -- any color
• Liquid dish soap
• One marble

Optional Resources

• Small plastic house from a Monopoly Game, glitter, sequins, etc.
• Tornado web site This would be a good Internet site for the students to see pictures of tornadoes and learn more about them by reading and then clicking on the links.
• Checklists (Rubrics) Tornado in a Bottle Rubric This rubric will assess the student's completion of the project.

  • Tornado in a Bottle Rubric

Steps

1. Bottle preparation

   Rinse out the bottle and fill it with water.

2. Food coloring

   Put two to three drops of food coloring in the bottle.

3. Dish soap

   Put one drop of dish soap in the bottle.

4. Marble

   Place one marble in the bottle.

5. Optional Items

   Place any of the optional items, such as the house or glitter, in the bottle.

6. Finish the Bottle

   Close the bottle tightly and shake it.

7. Tornado

   To make tornado, hold the top of the bottle and rotate the bottle in a clockwise motion to make the marble spin around the bottom of the bottle. This should make the water swirl to simulate a tornado.

Learner Notes

• This easy-to-make model will demonstrate some aspects and power and of a tornado. It is also fun!

Mentor Notes

• This easy, fun project will model the power and aspects of a tornado.