Make a Cloud Form in a Jar Science Experiment

Ever wonder how clouds are made? This super fun and simple experiment will help teach your kids about the physical changes and reactions that happen as clouds form within the atmosphere. They will be amazed as they see their own cloud begin to take form while they learn new weather vocabulary.

Below you’ll find our demonstration video, helpful tips to make your experiment successful, printable materials list and instructions, as well as easy to understand explanation of how the experiment works.

Note: Because this experiment requires boiling water, adult supervision is required.

JUMP TO SECTION: Instructions | Video Tutorial | How it Works

Supplies Needed

• Glass Jar with a Lid (we used a pint mason jar)
• 1 cup Hot Boiling Water
• Blue Food Coloring (optional)
• Aerosol Hairspray
• 3-5 cubes of Ice

Make a Cloud in a Jar Science Experiment Instructions

Step 1 – Pour 1 cup of hot boiling water into a glass jar. Helpful Tip: Use food coloring to dye the water blue before pouring it into the jar. This is not required, but does help distinguish the cloud from the water. Plus, it makes the water look like the sky.

Step 2 – Quickly spray hairspray into the jar.

Step 3 – Immediately put the lid onto the jar. Helpful Tip: This step must be performed quickly, so have the lid handy. It also helps to have multiple people doing the experiment. One to spray the hairspray and one to put on the lid.

Step 4 – Place 3-5 pieces of ice on top of the lid of the jar.

Step 5 – Now it’s time to observe what happens. Watch the top portion of the jar carefully and write down what happens. As time passes, you will see a cloud begin to form.

Step 6 – After observing the cloud form in the jar, remove the lid, and watch as it move out of the jar and into the air. Do you know the why the cloud formed? Find out the answer in the how does this experiment work section below.

Video Tutorial

How to Make a Cloud Science Experiment Step by Step Video

How Does the Science Experiment Work

How Clouds Form

• Water on Earth’s surface warms up and evaporates, changing into water vapor.
• The warm water vapor rises into the atmosphere and begins to cool.
• As the water vapor cools, it condenses and changes back into tiny droplets of water that stick to small particles in the air, like dust or dirt and form a cloud.

In our experiment, the hot water warmed the air inside the jar and caused some of the water to evaporate into water vapor. The warm water vapor rose to the top of the jar.

At the top of the jar, the water vapor starts to cool because the lid has ice on it. The cooled water vapor condensed back into tiny droplets of water and stick to the particles of hairspray, forming a cloud in the jar!

If you watch closely, you may see the cloud move and swirl around. This happens because warm air rises and cool air sinks. This movement of warm air going up and cool air coming down is called a convection current.

I hope you enjoyed the experiment. Here are some printable instructions:

Make a Cloud Science Experiment

Print

Materials

• Glass Jar with a Lid (we used a pint mason jar)
• 1 cup Hot Boiling Water
• Blue Food Coloring (optional)
• Aerosol Hairspray
• 3-5 cubes of Ice

Instructions

1. Pour 1 cup of hot boiling water into a glass jar.Helpful Tip: Use food coloring to dye the water blue before pouring it into the jar. This is not required, but does help distinguish the cloud from the water. Plus, it makes the water look like the sky.
2. Quickly spray hairspray into the jar.
3. Immediately put the lid onto the jar. Helpful Tip: This step must be performed quickly, so have the lid handy. It also helps to have multiple people doing the experiment. One to spray the hairspray and one to put on the lid.
4. Place a 3-5 pieces of ice on top of the lid of the jar.
5. Watch the top of the jar carefully and you will see a cloud begin to form.
6. After observing the cloud in the jar, remove the lid and watch the cloud escape out of the jar.