The Shaky Bottle

This is an art project idea that I have read in many different locations over the years. Children will enjoy making and then shaking their very own shaky bottle.

Below is the instructions to create your very own shaky bottle.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 or more clean, empty plastic drink bottles (20 oz soda bottles are perfect)

Water (or baby oil to make the things inside fall slower)

Glitter and/or confetti

Glue

Small objects that can fit inside the bottle. (buttons, coins, beads)
Try to vary the weight of the objects so some will sink and some will float.
Also, be sure to use a variety of colors and designs for added interest.

Dish Detergent / Food Coloring (Optional)

WHAT YOU DO:

Gather all your supplies in one place. Consider doing this outside in the driveway or laying a sheet on the floor and doing this on the sheet. Glitter does tend to be messy and difficult to clean up.

Let your child pick which items he wants to put in his bottle. For a young child, limit the choices to 4 or 5 options because he will likely want them all. For an older child, you can have just about as many options as you can come up with and then tell your child to pick 4 or 5 big items and 4 or 5 small items. This gives your older child a great deal of control over his creation and we all know how children love to be in control.

Let him put all his chosen items into the bottle. Do this BEFORE you add the water to minimize the mess. The items should only fill the bottom of the bottle. With this project, using fewer items is best. Just be sure what you make available has very interesting features and varies in size, color and shape.

Let your child choose one or two colors of glitter / confetti to add to the bottle. It is best to limit the amount of glitter added to the bottle to maintain visibility when the bottle is shaken.

After your child has placed all of his items in the bottle, fill the bottle to the top with water.

You may also add a drop or two of dish detergent to make bubbles when the bottle is shaken, or a drop or two of food coloring to change the color of the water (light colors are best).

I recommend adding a bit of glue to the inside of the bottle lid before you close the bottle. This will keep your child from opening the bottle and shaking the contents all over your carpet, furniture and walls. (Not that our perfect little angels would EVER even consider doing such a thing...)