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