Are you looking for a fun and exciting way to introduce science to your child at home? The Magic Milk Experiment is an affordable and easy activity to engage your toddler or preschooler in science learning with just a few items that you already have at home. Your little scientist can observe and learn about chemical reactions with this super fun activity.
What You Need:
- Plate (not paper)
- ½ cup – 1 cup milk
- Food coloring (3-4 colors)
- 1 drop of dish soap
- Toothpick or cotton swab
Activity Directions:
- Pour milk onto a plate ensuring you have enough to cover the base of the plate.
- Help your child to add a few drops of food coloring to the milk. This is a great opportunity to talk about colors – be sure to point out any new colors that are created if the colors mix together.
- Add one drop of dish soap and watch what happens! A chemical reaction will occur. The colors will move away from the soap and they will begin to mix and swirl. Take time to observe the reaction.
- Give your child a toothpick or cotton swab (if appropriate) to encourage the swirling motion, observing how the colors mixing together creates something new to examine.
The Science Behind It:
Milk is made up of mostly water, but it also contains vitamins, minerals, proteins and small droplets of fat. The fat and proteins are sensitive to changes in the milk and when the dish soap is added a chemical reaction occurs. The soap and fat work hard to join together, which causes the movement. When food coloring is added we are able to witness this chemical reaction occurring.
Easy Clean Up:
The great thing about this activity is that there is very little clean up! When you and your child are finished, simply pour the milk down the drain and put away the items used for the activity!