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Illuminated Discovery Bottles

By Karen Cox | Affiliate Disclosure | Filed Under: Science Center Ideas

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While in a craft store recently, I came across submersible lights. Immediately my wheels began to turn and I began to think of the possibilities. I bought a pack of submersible lights and some water beads, and made these illuminated discovery bottles for our science center.

Illuminated Discovery Bottles

The materials I used were submersible lights, water beads, and large plastic test tubes. My set of Jumbo Test Tubes are from Lakeshore, but you could also use plastic drink bottles that have a wide mouth.

Submersible lights (from a craft store):

Submersible Lights

Water beads (also from a craft store):

Water Beads

Lights & Glitter

This discovery bottle has water and red glitter with the submersible lights. The lights sink to the bottom, but when shaken, the lights move around in the water with the glitter. The light illuminates the water and reflects off the glitter, making it sparkle as it swirls around.

Illuminated Discover Tubes

Disappearing Water Beads

In this discovery bottle, I put in some clear water beads. I first showed the children how small the beads are when they are dry. Then I placed them in a test tube with water, and left them alone to absorb the water and grow bigger.

Water beads: before & after

After the beads were full size, I added some water to one of the tubes until the water covered the beads. This makes the beads seem to disappear!

Disappearing Water Beads

The water beads can only be seen when you move the tube around or lay it on its side.

Disappearing water beads appear again

Lights & Water Beads

Then I placed the submersible lights in the two bottles. The water beads hold the lights in place, so this time they don’t sink to the bottom. Children can either observe the bottle when it is completely still or shake and move the bottle to watch the lights move around among the water beads. In the picture below, the blue test tube is the one that has only water beads with no extra water added. The yellow test tube is the one that had extra water added to it. This tube makes it appear that the lights are suspended in the water, when they are actually sitting on top of invisible water beads.

Illuminated Discovery Bottles

Here’s a challenge for you: In the comments below, tell your own ideas for making Illuminated Discovery Bottles. After you make them, come back and tell us how they turned out!

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65 Comments

About Karen Cox

Karen is the founder of PreKinders.com. She also works as a full-time Pre-K teacher in Georgia. Read more...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nell Mewborn says

    December 10, 2013 at 9:10 pm

    I love this idea and I want make them now.Where did you get the tubes and base.

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      December 10, 2013 at 9:17 pm

      The tubes came from Lakeshore. They are called “Jumbo Test Tubes”, item #FS511.

      Reply
      • Charis Owings says

        December 11, 2013 at 12:19 pm

        Also, perhaps a dumb question.. but how long do the lights stay lit and you just leave them on?

        Reply
        • Karen Cox says

          December 11, 2013 at 7:17 pm

          I haven’t left mine on overnight, so I don’t know. I guess you could experiment and find out! šŸ™‚

          Reply
      • Sue says

        December 18, 2013 at 1:48 pm

        They also sell smaller tubes at Steve Spangler Science. They too are nice and come with a rack. They are called baby soda bottles

        Reply
    • Charis Owings says

      December 11, 2013 at 12:18 pm

      They also sell great bottles at Wegmans for $2.50 I have used to sensory bottles before. They are called VOSS water and come in different sizes (medium size are plastic!) and the mouths are nice and wide to fit most toys/manipulatives/crafts then hot glue them closed!!! You can easily peel off the labels too for a completely clear bottle!

      Reply
      • Karen Cox says

        December 11, 2013 at 7:17 pm

        Yes, the Voss bottles are very similar to these test tubes and will work well.

        Reply
  2. Kathy says

    December 10, 2013 at 9:21 pm

    You can add small beads. Foil flakes, or color to the water for some interest. Awesome idea

    Reply
  3. kamasha says

    December 10, 2013 at 9:21 pm

    Love this idea….

    Reply
  4. melissa sloan says

    December 10, 2013 at 9:30 pm

    This is so neat Karen! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. chanda J says

    December 10, 2013 at 9:33 pm

    I love this idea!!!

    Reply
  6. Marilyn says

    December 10, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    This looks so cool! Are the water beads from a craft store too? Michaels?

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      December 10, 2013 at 9:55 pm

      Yes, Michaels.

      Reply
      • Marilyn says

        December 10, 2013 at 9:59 pm

        Thanks so much Karen, I’ll make them tomorrow!
        Are the Lakeshore test tubes plastic I hope?

        Reply
        • Karen Cox says

          December 10, 2013 at 10:22 pm

          Yes, they are plastic.

          Reply
  7. Maria says

    December 10, 2013 at 10:01 pm

    Thanks for sharing is a perfect idea!!

    Reply
  8. Mama Carmody says

    December 10, 2013 at 10:02 pm

    These are really cool looking. I was just getting ready to make some sensory bottles for my 2 yr old great-nephew. We may have to try these.

    Reply
  9. Lynn says

    December 10, 2013 at 10:11 pm

    How long do the lights last?

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      December 10, 2013 at 10:21 pm

      Not sure, I haven’t had them long enough for them to run out. I turn them off overnight, though.

      Reply
      • Rinie says

        December 11, 2013 at 3:37 am

        How do turn the lights of,

        Reply
        • Karen Cox says

          December 11, 2013 at 7:19 pm

          The ones I bought turn on and off just by tightening and loosening the light where it screws together.

          Reply
  10. Pamela says

    December 10, 2013 at 11:00 pm

    How awesome! I can’t wait to make these. Thank you Karen.

    Reply
  11. Andrea S says

    December 10, 2013 at 11:03 pm

    Karen, I absolutely love this! Where did you find the submersible lights? Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      December 11, 2013 at 7:19 pm

      I bought mine at Michaels.

      Reply
  12. Angelika Stablow says

    December 10, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    You could add food coloring or liquid water color to the water for different color effects, and/or liquids with a different density (glycerin or mineral oil).

    Reply
  13. Marlet says

    December 11, 2013 at 5:18 am

    Love this idea. I will definitely do it in my PreK class. Thanks for all the wonderful Math and Science ideas.

    Reply
  14. Gloria says

    December 11, 2013 at 6:58 am

    How long have you kept the water beads sealed in a container (test tube or otherwise)? I am wondering about mold. That being said, though, I can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      December 11, 2013 at 7:23 pm

      Mold would depend on the amount of humidity in the room. Being almost winter now, it shouldn’t be a problem for a while. You probably wouldn’t leave them in there all year. If it did grow mold, you could just throw away the water beads and wash the tubes in bleach water. I haven’t had mine in the tube very long. Usually when I do an activity with my class, I post it while it’s “fresh”, lol.

      Reply
  15. Angela says

    December 11, 2013 at 7:26 am

    WOW, these are all pretty cool. I’m sure my PreKinders & Kinders will enjoy this .

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  16. Wilma H Bishop says

    December 11, 2013 at 7:53 am

    Great idea

    Reply
  17. Michelle says

    December 11, 2013 at 8:07 am

    Wow! Thanks for sharing this wonderfully original idea!

    Reply
  18. Jennifer says

    December 11, 2013 at 8:41 am

    What a great idea! In the past I have added light corn syrup to the water. It slows down the movemnet and gives more of a lava lamp appearance.

    Reply
  19. Sue Brooks says

    December 11, 2013 at 8:51 am

    A few ?’s..Are the H2O beads poisonous if swallowed? How do the lights on/off switch operate? Curious about fishing them from the tubes.
    This is an awesome idea with lots of potential for discovery with children and adults sharing the experience. Lots of language going on, for sure. Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      December 11, 2013 at 7:30 pm

      Water beads are made of a superabsorbant polymer. Same thing that’s in diapers and instant snow. They’re supposed to be non-toxic. The kids are not playing with the beads themselves. The beads are inside a bottle, which you can seal with masking tape wrapped around the lid several times, or some duct tape.

      Reply
      • Cyndi says

        December 12, 2013 at 12:18 pm

        I’ve let my preschool children play with the water beads. They feel really cool. We use the same rules as instant snow and water play…wash your hands first!

        Reply
        • Chria says

          February 1, 2014 at 7:57 pm

          Careful teachers there is a ‘ choking potential’ of these beads-

          I am going to use this idea on my light table! Thanks so much

          Reply
          • Karen Cox says

            February 4, 2014 at 10:02 pm

            The beads are sealed up inside the bottle, so they are not a choking hazard if children can’t get them out.

  20. Barb says

    December 11, 2013 at 12:50 pm

    Wow! So cool! Can’t wait to visit Michaels to pick up the lights/beads. Thanks again, Karen!

    Reply
  21. Darlene Taig says

    December 11, 2013 at 4:55 pm

    Totally love this idea

    Reply
  22. spring70s says

    December 12, 2013 at 9:23 am

    love the idea karen

    Reply
  23. Emily says

    December 12, 2013 at 1:28 pm

    Are the lights able to fit in the regular size test tubes? I already have those…

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      December 12, 2013 at 7:38 pm

      Not sure about that, Emily. You could always use drink bottles if you don’t want to buy the large test tubes.

      Reply
  24. Kristine says

    December 12, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    I love this idea.. my Special Need Preschool kids will love that! Thanks for the wonderful idea!

    Reply
  25. Pennie says

    December 13, 2013 at 2:28 am

    Oh my goodness. These are fantastic.

    Reply
  26. Discovery ELC says

    December 13, 2013 at 7:03 am

    This is one of the top 3 ideas EVER!!!! I can’t wait to add this to my array of discovery bottles. Thank you for sharing this wonderful idea!

    Reply
  27. Laura Brian says

    December 13, 2013 at 12:19 pm

    Hi. These are so great. I recently made some with letters and fuzzy pipe cleaners in. The children then had to manipulate the pipe cleaners around the bottle with magnets to see the letters. They loved it and it kept my investigation area full of children all week! šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Elie Krassow says

      December 19, 2013 at 1:14 pm

      Can you post a picture of your idea? I am a visual learner so I need to see how you put the letters on the pipe cleaners. It sounds like another fantabulous way to introduce the alphabet and possibly numbers….Thanks!!

      Reply
  28. Terry says

    December 17, 2013 at 7:54 pm

    Could you tell me how much are the lights? This is a wonderful idea!

    Reply
  29. Monique Brown says

    December 18, 2013 at 8:40 pm

    Where did you get the stands to hold the test tubes.

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      December 19, 2013 at 10:32 pm

      I bought the Jumbo Test Tubes from Lakeshore & the stands come with the set.

      Reply
  30. Evelyn says

    December 18, 2013 at 9:27 pm

    This is perfect for my unit on water! The kids will love this!

    Reply
  31. Rachel Aulet-McGann says

    December 28, 2013 at 7:46 pm

    This is super cute! My pre-K class would love this!

    Reply
  32. andrea says

    January 2, 2014 at 5:25 pm

    Another awesome idea!!! Love your site…ty

    Reply
  33. kathy says

    January 2, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    thank you!!!!!!!

    Reply
  34. shannon says

    January 11, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    i was wondering where you bought the light and the beads becuase i cant seem to find them.

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      January 12, 2014 at 8:24 pm

      I bought them at Michaels — on the row where floral things are sold.

      Reply
      • Katrina says

        January 15, 2014 at 9:53 pm

        You can also purchase the water beads at the Dollar tree store.

        Reply
  35. Lu Amily says

    January 20, 2014 at 9:58 pm

    Many thanks to Karen :
    Thank you so much for providing such wonderful ideas about pre-kinder teaching,what a loving deed,Karen,I am a chinese christian , have been looking for christian teaching resources for my girl and other little kids from our church,then your website is here! thanks to almighty God

    Reply
  36. Tamera Vanhorn says

    January 26, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    I just found a 2 pack of these submersible lights at Meijer on Clearance for $2.79 in the floral department. Water beads can be found sometimes at the Dollar tree, WalMart and in several teaching catalogs, I also think at Oriental Trading. I can not wait to try these. Thank you for the awesome ideas!!! Keep up the good work everyone.p

    Reply
  37. Valerie says

    January 30, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    I love the lights idea. You just gave me some ideas for Valentine’s Day, I have some tiny plastic confetti hearts that never get used because of my little one. I think I will make a rainbow set with different items in them for St. Patrick’s Day. Last year I made a tube like you did with the clear beads and told them they were magic Leprechun eggs and that’s why we can’t see them because they were magic. You should have seen their faces it was priceless. I love my job. Thank you for sharing your amazing work with us. You amaze me.

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      January 30, 2014 at 8:48 pm

      Those ideas are very imaginative, Valerie! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  38. Caren says

    July 9, 2015 at 6:21 pm

    I really like this. My exceptional students will really like this! I cannot find the test tubes large enough, though or the holders for them.

    Caren Stocks

    Reply
  39. Annelise Dent says

    February 27, 2017 at 11:24 am

    This idea is absolutely brilliant. Can’t wait to do this with the children as part of our stem activities. I work with mixed school-age, and am always looking for new ideas for sensory bottles. I will be out looking for those lights this week.

    Thanks for brightening my day!!

    Reply
  40. JoElle Monique Gomez says

    August 7, 2017 at 10:32 am

    Where do you buy the bases from?

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      August 7, 2017 at 5:52 pm

      It was a set I got from Lakeshore. I can’t find it on their site right now, but this is similar: http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C893%2C725&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1502142731182

      Reply

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Would you like to join my FREE weekly update newsletter? Join 85,000+ subscribers!
We collect, use, and process your data according to our Privacy Policy.
Don't worry - we never sell or share email addresses!