Rainbow Milk Experiment

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 ges: 4-8

Objective: Introduce children to the concepts of surface tension, chemistry, and color mixing in a simple and visually captivating experiment using milk and food coloring.

Materials Needed:

  1. Full-fat milk (enough to fill shallow dishes or bowls)
  2. Liquid dish soap (a few drops)
  3. Food coloring (assorted colors)
  4. Cotton swabs or toothpicks
  5. Shallow dishes or bowls (one per participant)
  6. Optional: Glitter for extra sparkle

Procedure:

  1. Pour enough full-fat milk into each shallow dish or bowl to cover the bottom in a thin layer.

  2. Add drops of different colored food coloring to the milk. You can use multiple colors and create patterns or designs with the drops.

  3. Dip a cotton swab or toothpick into the liquid dish soap.

  4. Touch the soapy end of the cotton swab or toothpick to the surface of the milk, near the center of the dish.

  5. Observe closely as the colors in the milk begin to swirl and mix together.

  6. Continue adding drops of dish soap to different areas of the milk surface to create additional swirls and patterns.

  7. Optional: Sprinkle a little glitter onto the surface of the milk for extra visual appeal.

Explanation:

  • Milk contains fat molecules, which have a property called surface tension that allows them to resist mixing with other substances.
  • When dish soap is added to the milk, it disrupts the surface tension and breaks apart the fat molecules.
  • As the fat molecules separate, they allow the food coloring to mix and spread, creating swirling patterns in the milk.

Extensions:

  1. Experiment with different types of milk (such as skim milk or almond milk) to observe any differences in the results.
  2. Try using different brands or concentrations of dish soap to see how they affect the swirling patterns.
  3. Discuss with children how the colors mix together and create new colors, reinforcing basic color theory concepts.
  4. Encourage children to hypothesize what might happen if they change the temperature of the milk or use different types of liquids.
  5. Challenge kids to create their own artistic designs by strategically adding drops of food coloring to the milk before adding the dish soap.

Safety Note:

  • Supervise children closely, especially when handling dish soap and other materials. Remind them not to ingest any of the substances used in the experiment.

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