S.T.E.A.M. | Milk Magic

$250 stipend headed to front-line workers during COVID-19
June 29, 2020
Homeroom Happenings: Summer Edition!
June 30, 2020
$250 stipend headed to front-line workers during COVID-19
June 29, 2020
Homeroom Happenings: Summer Edition!
June 30, 2020

This magic milk rainbow science experiment is perfect for budding scientists!


This is an experiment on surface tension. The effects of the oils in the whole milk (which is high in fat) and the soap are instant! When the soap is added to the milk, it allows the fat to be carried through water. This is why we use soap to clean dirty dishes! When you drop the soap into the milk, the molecules combine. This causes the food coloring drops to move much more rapidly through the milk.

This experiment is also amazing when learning about color mixing. You can watch as blue and yellow mix together to create green, and so on.

What You’ll Need:

  • Whole milk
  • Food coloring (Not the gel kind!)
  • Shallow container
  • Dish soap

 

What to Do:

STEP 1


Cover the bottom of your container with milk. You shouldn’t need much!

STEP 2
Drop in food coloring around your container.

STEP 3
Drop a TINY bit of soap onto each spot of color.


STEP 4

The result is instant, so be ready!

 

Tips:

  • Use a toothpick to help swirl the colors around and see what new colors you can create.
  • We tried different kinds of soap to see what would happen. (dish soap, shampoo, hand soap and even just soapy water.) They all worked!
  • This experiment will also work in a clear drinking glass if you don’t have a shallow container. The colors will run down also!
  • While this experiment works best with whole milk, anything other than skim will also work in a pinch!