Magic milk

Aka Doof's first science experiment

If you've never heard of magic milk then you definitely need to try this out. Super simple (you will already have all the ingredients needed) and it kept D engrossed for over half an hour (a long time in toddler-time!).

What you need:

-  Milk (not skimmed - we used full fat and Iz's discarded formula)

-  Food colouring

-  Liquid soap

-  Cake pop stick (could also use a cotton bud or cocktail stick but I like cake pop sticks because they aren't sharp but are thin enough to be good fine motor practice for D)

What to do:

Pour a thin layer of milk into a bowl (if the layer is too deep the colours will get lost) and add a few drops of food colouring

Watch as they initially spread a little - weird how some colours spread much more than others! Then the fun bit - dip your stick into the liquid soap and then hold it in the milk

The colours will initially "run" away from it.But if you keep holding it in the same place they will then dance back towards it

Pretty patterns

We also made some pictures by dipping watercolour paper on top of the colours as they were spiralling. It was quite tricky for D to get the timing right though!

I love how simple this is to do but yet how much it held D's attention. Once we'd "used up" all the fat in the milk I just poured it away and poured out some more and D could start again. 

Sometimes it's nice to recognise just how many learning opportunities there are for toddlers in even simple activities. In this one D:

    - talked about colours

    - used new words like "swirl/whirl"

    - practised fine motor skills when squeezing the food colour bottles

    - followed new commands (eg "hold the stick still") 

    - learnt about cause and effect (after a few seconds he realised if he put the soapy stick end into an area of colour it would quickly swirl away and change its patten).

I'm not sure you could ask for much more from an activity with such a simple set-up?! If you're interested in the science behind it then you can read a great explanation here.

ilk is mostly water but it also contains vitamins, minerals, proteins, and tiny droplets of fat suspended in solution. Fats and proteins are sensitive to changes in the surrounding solution (the milk).
The secret of the bursting colors is the chemistry of that tiny drop of soap. Dish soap, because of its bipolar characteristics (nonpolar on one end and polar on the other), weakens the chemical bonds that hold the proteins and fats in solution. The soap's polar, or hydrophilic (water-loving), end dissolves in water, and its hydrophobic (water-fearing) end attaches to a fat globule in the milk. This is when the fun begins.
The molecules of fat bend, roll, twist, and contort in all directions as the soap molecules race around to join up with the fat molecules. During all of this fat molecule gymnastics, the food coloring molecules are bumped and shoved everywhere, providing an easy way to observe all the invisible activity. As the soap becomes evenly mixed with the milk, the action slows down and eventually stops.
Try adding another drop of soap to see if there's any more movement. If so, you discovered there are still more fat molecules that haven't found a partner at the big color dance. Add another drop of soap to start the process again
- See more at: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/milk-color-explosion#how-does-it-work

How Does It Work?

Milk is mostly water but it also contains vitamins, minerals, proteins, and tiny droplets of fat suspended in solution. Fats and proteins are sensitive to changes in the surrounding solution (the milk).
The secret of the bursting colors is the chemistry of that tiny drop of soap. Dish soap, because of its bipolar characteristics (nonpolar on one end and polar on the other), weakens the chemical bonds that hold the proteins and fats in solution. The soap's polar, or hydrophilic (water-loving), end dissolves in water, and its hydrophobic (water-fearing) end attaches to a fat globule in the milk. This is when the fun begins.
The molecules of fat bend, roll, twist, and contort in all directions as the soap molecules race around to join up with the fat molecules. During all of this fat molecule gymnastics, the food coloring molecules are bumped and shoved everywhere, providing an easy way to observe all the invisible activity. As the soap becomes evenly mixed with the milk, the action slows down and eventually stops.
Try adding another drop of soap to see if there's any more movement. If so, you discovered there are still more fat molecules that haven't found a partner at the big color dance. Add another drop of soap to start the process again.
- See more at: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/milk-color-explosion#how-does-it-work

How Does It Work?

Milk is mostly water but it also contains vitamins, minerals, proteins, and tiny droplets of fat suspended in solution. Fats and proteins are sensitive to changes in the surrounding solution (the milk).
The secret of the bursting colors is the chemistry of that tiny drop of soap. Dish soap, because of its bipolar characteristics (nonpolar on one end and polar on the other), weakens the chemical bonds that hold the proteins and fats in solution. The soap's polar, or hydrophilic (water-loving), end dissolves in water, and its hydrophobic (water-fearing) end attaches to a fat globule in the milk. This is when the fun begins.
The molecules of fat bend, roll, twist, and contort in all directions as the soap molecules race around to join up with the fat molecules. During all of this fat molecule gymnastics, the food coloring molecules are bumped and shoved everywhere, providing an easy way to observe all the invisible activity. As the soap becomes evenly mixed with the milk, the action slows down and eventually stops.
Try adding another drop of soap to see if there's any more movement. If so, you discovered there are still more fat molecules that haven't found a partner at the big color dance. Add another drop of soap to start the process again.
- See more at: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/milk-color-explosion#how-does-it-work

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Have you tried this with your kids? If you've ever tried any variations or twists on it I'd love to hear :)