Make Your Own Tornado

Materials

1 Quart glass jar

1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid

Food coloring (green or blue preferably)

*Optional: A few small pebbles, Monopoly houses or glitter that will serve as "debris."

Procedure

1.) Fill jar with water until it is about three-quarters full.
2.) Add dishwashing liquid and a few drops of food coloring.
3.) If you have small pebbles, glitter, or Monopoly houses you can add those as well.
4.) Put the lid on the jar and swirl the jar in a circular motion for about 30 seconds. Be careful while swirling the jar!
5.) Now place the jar down and watch - you should see a tornado!

Experiment #2 - Tornado In A Bottle

Materials

2 plastic 1-liter soda bottles

*1 Tornado Tube bottle connector (available through various weather-related websites and catalogs)

Food coloring and glitter

*The bottle caps from the plastic bottles can also work instead of the Tornado Tube. All you have to do is make 2 equal-sized holes in the middle of each cap (about 3/8" in diameter) and tape together securely using duct tape.

Procedure

1) Fill one bottle with water until it is about two-thirds full. Add a few drops of food coloring and some glitter.
2) Next, attach each bottle to the Tornado Tube (If using the bottle caps, twist the caps onto the bottles and secure together with duct tape so that no water leaks out).
3) Hold the bottles securely and position the bottles so that the one with the water is on top.
4) Swirl the bottles in a circular motion.
5) Do you see it yet? A tornado!

Explanation:

Swirling the water in the bottle causes a vortex, which appears as a tornado in the bottle.