milk dishwashing liquid food colouring experiment

How the Milk & Dish Soap Experiment Works

A fun demonstration for kids.

If you haven't done this colourful demonstration for your kids, you probably should. It is both educational and entertaining.

The experiment/demonstration is easy: Put some milk in a a wide shallow dish, add some drops of food colouring and then put is a few drops of dish washing soap/liquid.

It is fun to watch the colours swirl, but what is actually going on? Why are the colors swirling? In this post, we look at the science behind the milk and dish washing soap chemistry experiment.

How Does it Work: Simple Explanation

Firstly, keep in mind that the food coloring is only there so you can actually see what is going on. Without it, the milk and dish soap will act the same, but it would be really hard to see the effect with your eyes.

Milk contains fat. Dish washing soap bonds to fat. So the molecules in the soap are racing around joining up with fat molecules. It keeps going until the soap becomes evenly mixed in the milk.

How it Works: Complex Answer

For a more complex answer, we did some research, and found a great explanation on Scientific American .

Detergent, such as liquid dish soap, is mostly surfactants. These can lower the surface tension of water as well as milk, which contains water and molecules of fat. Surfactants have a hydrophilic part that wants to interact with the water and a hydrophobic part that wants to interact with the fat molecules. Because of this, when the cotton swab with soap touched the milk, the soap separated the fat from the water in the milk, dissolving the fat (which is how soap cleans greasy, dirty dishes). This also decreased the milk's surface tension. As the soap spread out from the cotton swab, it decreased the milk's surface tension around it, and the higher surface tension surrounding this area pulled the milk (along with its food coloring) toward it. If enough soap is added, however, the soap and milk become evenly mixed and the milk (and food coloring) no longer move when more soap is added.

Watch the Color Changing Milk Experiment

Here is a short video demonstrating the effects of adding dish soap to milk.

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Magic Milk Science Experiment – Amazing Explosion of Color!

Did you know that it is easy to turn ordinary milk into a rainbow of crazy colors? With only four common kitchen items, kids are thrilled by the color explosion created by the hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules in our magic ingredient!

Watch our demonstration video, then print out a materials list and instructions to plan for this simple and fun science experiment. Easy to understand explanation of how it works is included below.

JUMP TO SECTION: Instructions | Video Tutorial | How it Works

Supplies Needed

• Milk (Must be either Whole or 2%)
• Food Coloring. The more colors the better
• Shallow Dish or Bowl

Magic Milk Science Lab Kit – Only $5

Use our easy Magic Milk Science Lab Kit to grab your students’ attention without the stress of planning!

It’s everything you need to  make science easy for teachers and fun for students  — using inexpensive materials you probably already have in your storage closet!

Magic Milk Experiment Instructions

Step 1 – Pour some milk into a shallow dish or bowl until the milk covers the bottom.

Step 2 – Add some drops of food coloring on the milk. You can use a variety of colors, just be sure to add 3-4 drops of each color.

Step 3 – Add a drop of dish soap into the center of the milk.

Step 4 – Watch in amazement as the colors dances across the surface of the milk. Do you know what caused the colors to move around in the milk? Find out the answer in the how does this experiment work section below.

Video Tutorial

Detailed Magic Rainbow Milk Science Experiment Step by Step Instructions

How Does the Science Experiment Work

The key to the dancing colors in this experiment is soap! Soap molecules consist of a hydrophilic (“water-loving”) end and a hydrophobic (“water-fearing”) end. Water molecules are polar molecules that can dissolve other polar molecules. Fat (and oil) molecules are nonpolar molecules, so they cannot dissolve in water.

Milk is a mixture of water, fat, vitamins and minerals. When soap is added to the milk, it helps to separate the water and fat in the milk. When soap is mixed in with the fat and water, the hydrophobic end of the soap molecule breaks up the nonpolar fat molecules, and the hydrophilic end of the soap molecule links up with the polar water molecules. Now that the soap is connecting the fat and water, the nonpolar fat molecules can be carried by the polar water molecules.

As the soap molecules connect to the fat molecules, the molecules of the food coloring get pushed around everywhere resulting in an explosion of color! As the majority of soap molecules attach to the fat molecules and the soap spreads throughout the milk, the color explosion will slow and eventually stop. Add more soap and see if there are more fat molecules that haven’t attached to soap – if there are unattached fat molecules still, the color explosion will begin again.

This experiment works best with 2% and whole milk because they contain more fat.

Other Ideas to Try

Try this experiment again using milk with different fat percentages. Try it with skim milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk, half and half, and cream. Consider even trying evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. See how the amount of fat affects the explosion of color!

I hope you enjoyed the experiment as much as we did. Here are some printable instructions:

Magic Rainbow Milk Science Experiment

Instructions.

• Pour some milk into a shallow dish or bowl until the milk covers the bottom. Tip: Be sure to use either Whole or 2% Milk
• Add some drops of food coloring on the milk. You can use a variety of colors, just be sure to add 3-4 drops of each color.
• Add a drop of dish soap into the center of the milk
• Watch in amazement as the colors dances across the surface of the milk

Reader Interactions

November 11, 2019 at 6:47 pm

I did this in my science class and it worked really well! I looked at a lot of science experiments but couldn’t find one I liked and then I found this at the last minute and it was really good so thank you for sharing:)

April 12, 2023 at 9:03 pm

I agree, Emma. It has worked every time and was fun to watch! This explanation of the experiment is very informative. I have done this experiment a lot when I was younger. ☺️

August 19, 2020 at 11:48 am

It was pretty cool

October 19, 2021 at 8:33 pm

This was a really fun activity!

November 19, 2021 at 8:26 am

Because of this experiment I got to the finals of my Sci Expo

February 13, 2022 at 8:11 pm

It was actually pretty cool. I did this for my science project. Also, the colors came out really nice! i will definitely try again.

April 2, 2022 at 5:27 am

Thanks a million for these fantastic ideas and explanations!

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Magic Milk Science Experiment for Kids

Nothing happens if you drip food coloring onto milk, but once you add a drop of dishwashing liquid, the milk turns into a swirling wheel of color. Here’s how to perform the magic milk science experiment and a look at how it works.

Magic Milk Materials

This is a great science project for kids because all you need is milk, food coloring, and dishwashing liquid. It’s also easy on your pocketbook because you only need a little of the ingredients.

• Food Coloring
• Dishwashing liquid

How to Do the Magic Milk Science Experiment

• Pour enough milk to cover the bottom of a small place or shallow saucer.
• Add a few drops of food coloring. You don’t need to use different colors, but if you do, you can explore how colors combine to make new ones.
• Observe how boring this is. The food coloring drops stay where you put them and may even sink into the milk and disappear.
• Drip a droplet of dishwashing liquid onto the center of the milk. You don’t need to stir the milk. The colors immediately start to swirl on their own.

How the Magic Milk Experiment Works

Adding food coloring to milk doesn’t have much of an effect. Yes, you can color the milk if you stir it, but if you don’t stir it the color spreads by diffusion . Diffusion is a slow process and not very interesting to watch.

When you add dishwashing liquid, the colors start to swirl. Dishwashing liquid is a detergent. Detergents lower the surface tension of the water in the milk, making it easier for the ingredients on the plate to mix. You can observe surface tension if you pour water or milk into a glass and note you can overfill the container slightly. The anti-gravity water science trick also relies on surface tension.

But, that’s not all detergent does. Detergent is an emulsifier . Each detergent molecule has a hydrophobic (“water-fearing”) and hydrophilic (“water-loving”) portion. The hydrophilic portion orients toward water molecules, while the hydrophobic portion orients toward fat molecules. The end result is that detergent forms tiny spheres called micelles that separate the fat from the water. Basically, an emulsifier helps two immiscible (unmixable) liquids mix. The food coloring swirls throughout the milk as the detergent forms micelles around fat globules within it. The fat content of the milk matters. Skim milk contains very little fat, so the detergent doesn’t have a big effect on it. 2% milk and whole milk work much better for the magic milk project because they contain enough fat to cause a visible reaction between the detergent and milk.

From Project to Science Experiment

Science projects work due to scientific principles. For young explorers, you can explain that detergent changes the properties of milk so colors added to it mix better. Explain that the same process happens when you wash dishes. The detergent makes it easier for oil and grease to lift from dishes and get rinsed away. Also, this is a great project for kids to explore colors. They can see that blue and yellow combine to make green, red and blue combine to make purple, and so on.

But, older children can turn the science project into a science experiment. The difference is that an experiment uses the scientific method . In a nutshell, an investigator observes the project, makes a prediction or forms a hypothesis about what will happen if one thing is changed, and then conducts and experiment to see if the prediction was correct. Here are some ideas of factors to change to turn the magic milk project into a true magic milk science experiment.

• What happens if you increase the fat content of milk? You can compare skim, 2% milk, whole milk, and half-and-half. Or, you can mix oil in with milk before continuing the project. Is there a point where the thickness of the milk slows down the reaction?
• Does the project work with water? With vegetable oil? What happens if you mix water and oil and try the project?
• What happens if you sprinkle glitter onto the milk before adding the detergent?
• Temperature affects the rate of many processes and chemical reactions. Is there any difference if you use very color milk compared with hot milk?

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Discover an Easy Magical Color Changing Milk Experiment for Kids

Science Preschoolers Colors Experiment 28 Comments

Learn about mixing colors  with a color changing milk experiment. Your kids will think this trick is science magic!

We’re talking a lot about how colors mix together right now. I wanted to add in a little extra science twist to continue our learning.

Color Changing Milk Experiment to Magically Mix Colors

I’ve tried doing this magic color changing milk experiment in the past, but remember not having the best great success with it. I don’t remember what we did differently though because this time it worked great.

We took this milk experiment as an opportunity for George to be introduced to mixing primary colors to see what colors they would make.

To do your own color changing milk experiment, you’ll need:

• Liquid food coloring
• Q-Tip or cotton swab

First, pour milk into a small, flat dish. A pie plate worked perfectly for us.

Squirt drops of food coloring in all different colors  (affiliate link), or just use two primary colors, into the milk.

Be sure to not mix it up!

Just let the drops sit as they are.

Dip a Q-tip (cotton swab) into some dish soap. I don’t believe it matters what type of dish soap, but we used Ivory dish soap and had great success.

Dip the dish soap soaked Q-tip end into the milk and watch the magic happen!

See it in action!

After doing the first experiment with all three primary colors, I thought this would be a great experiment to introduce mixing colors to George using only two primary colors at a time.

It magically mixes colors!

We did this color changing milk experiment over and over with all the combinations of primary colors.

Of course, George is just like his older brother and loves green, so that was our first experiment.

Magically mixing colors!

How do we make the color green?

Check out all our science experiments for kids .

George saw the green in the yellow and blue right away!

And then we tried red and yellow to see what they made.

It takes a long time for the colors to actually mix together.

They almost swirl around each other more than anything.

So George didn’t see orange, he kept seeing yellow. Until finally, after letting is mix almost completely together he could see the orange.

What’s so interesting about this experiment is that it bubbles up, the yellow will just appear out of nowhere in the middle of the red all of a sudden!

It really is like magic!

And then we tried to make purple. Blue and red together.

We’ve also had fun mixing colors with fizzy eruptions !

George thought it looked like it made black. I think we overdid it with the drops of color and it got to dark.

The photos here just don’t do this experiment justice. The swirling effect the colors do is just plain amazing to watch.

George’s face gives that away in some of the photos. If we had more milk on hand we could have done this to fill up our entire morning.

My husband suggested that any liquid, like water, could probably work. It’s something about breaking surface tension.

I don’t know what those terms mean, so I’m not going to pretend that I do.

But the reason for the milk is to have the white background so you can see the swirls happening.

If someone has tried color changing milk with anything other than milk, let me know if it does work! Does color changing water work?

We loved trying these other twists on the magic milk experiment:

• Read about the science of how and why this works at Steve Spangler Science
• Mess for Less made the milk explode too!
• Add glitter to see the movement, from Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails
• See what happens when color is added to only the middle of the pan at Craftulate

What are your favorite science experiments for kids? Share your ideas in the comments!

About jamie reimer.

Jamie learned to be a hands on mom by creating activities, crafts and art projects for her three boys to do. Jamie needed the creative outlet that activities provided to get through the early years of parenting with a smile! Follow Jamie on Pinterest and Instagram !

More Hands on Kids Activities to Try

Reader Interactions

28 comments.

Katrina Mason says

February 11, 2021 at 9:52 am

I love the q-tip activity. Thank you for sharing

February 11, 2019 at 9:37 pm

Thank you for this wonderful site. I taught 3rd grade for 30 years and now I’m teaching grandchildren. thank you for your generosity. Your research, site development, videos all are such a gift. I’ll be starting these next week on my Nana play dates. Thank you! ! !

April 25, 2017 at 1:12 pm

Fun activity. It does not work though with Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap. I think you need a regular commercial soap. Not a hippy dippy one:)

August 15, 2016 at 4:09 am

Surface tension is also involved. You could use the same principle to make a detergent-powered boat: tape a bread tag onto a matchbox (or similar) with the hole of the tag sticking out. Place in a dish of water and drop detergent into the hole in the tag. That’s it! I like to stick a little toothpick flag in the box too :)

Cynthia says

February 21, 2016 at 6:27 pm

I haven’t tried this one with my preschoolers in awhile. Usually I use toothpicks instead of q-tips but it is the same idea. I need to go and get some milk!

November 24, 2015 at 11:20 am

You may try some other liquids that contain fat, such as cream (amazing patterns) or yogurt. But I recommend trying this experiment using Elmer’s glue (white one). Not only the swirling colors will be beautiful, but is you use a plastic dish and then let the glue dry, you get a fabulous gift for your kids’ window. Try it!

Lisa Horton says

September 15, 2014 at 10:42 am

Really enjoying your ideas. I have tried using primary colored skittles with water in a bowl and it works great. After the coloring from the candy dissolves you are able to mix and see the blended colors change into a secondary color. I tried the experiment from a post by mamajenn.com

Jamie Reimer says

September 15, 2014 at 2:25 pm

Great idea Lisa!

Catherine Jakuta says

August 23, 2014 at 6:07 pm

The colours swirl and mix because the soap is trying to break down the fats in the milk (this is why it works best with full fat milk) much like the soap does when you wash the dishes. This causes the colours to swirl around.

Kristina @ School Time Snippets says

May 15, 2014 at 9:53 am

We just tried this using almond milk {all we had} and it didn’t work. This was a suggested science activity for our my 1st graders curriculum today; they explained it as the dish soap breaking up the fat content in the milk– which is why I a guessing the Almond milk didn’t work and water probably wouldn’t either. Off to the store we go!

May 15, 2014 at 2:46 pm

oh very interesting to know Kristina… that makes sense.

May 14, 2014 at 7:08 pm

We did it with water and then we used blotting paper to record our findings onto, The blotting paper also works, well when wet, and with Any ink run onto it, pen, ink, Food coloring, and thing that runs even ready,made poster paint Have you tried Oil, conflour and food colouring That molds like flaky snow, it is great to use with winter animals There is also slim with custard powder and water that is gloup, strange consistance on your hands Great too with a mint and a fizzy drink stand well back Watch on you tube I wana know is who makes this up, i think of pop corn that was a mistake gone wrong, how nice and graet it is to get things wrong nowadays

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If you add food coloring to milk, not a whole lot happens, but it only takes one simple ingredient to turn the milk into a swirling color wheel. Here is what you do.

Magic Milk Materials

• 2% or whole milk
• food coloring
• dishwashing liquid
• cotton swab

Magic Milk Instructions

• Pour enough milk onto a plate to cover the bottom.
• Drop food coloring into the milk.
• Dip a cotton swab in dishwashing detergent liquid.
• Touch the coated swab to the milk in the center of the plate.
• Don't stir the milk; it isn't necessary. The colors will swirl on their own as soon as the detergent contacts the liquid.

How the Color Wheel Works

Milk consists of a lot of different types of molecules, including fat, protein, sugars, vitamins, and minerals. If you had just touched a clean cotton swab to the milk (try it!), not much would have happened. The cotton is absorbent, so you would have created a current in the milk, but you wouldn't have seen anything especially dramatic happen.

When you introduce detergent to the milk, several things happen at once. The detergent lowers the surface tension of the liquid so that the food coloring is free to flow throughout the milk. The detergent reacts with the protein in the milk, altering the shape of those molecules and setting them in motion. The reaction between the detergent and the fat forms micelles, which is how detergent helps to lift grease off of dirty dishes. As the micelles form, the pigments in the food coloring get pushed around. Eventually, equilibrium is reached, but the swirling of the colors continues for quite a while before stopping.

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Magic Milk Science Experiment

January 11, 2023 By Emma Vanstone 4 Comments

This easy  magic milk science investigation is fantastic fun for kids of all ages. All you need is whole milk, food colouring and a little dish soap to create crazy colour explosions. Older children can use this activity to learn about emulsions .

The reaction that gives the colourful display is between the fat molecules in the milk and dish soap. This is why whole milk is the best to use.

How to set up a magic milk investigation

You’ll need.

A shallow tray

Food colouring

Washing up liquid ( dish soap )

Instructions

1. Pour a layer of milk into your baking tray or plate.

2. Gently drip a few drops of food colouring onto the surface of the milk – spread these out.

3. Add drops of the washing-up liquid on top of the food dye and watch what happens.

Safety:  Do not drink the milk after.

What do you think of our magic milk display?

Why does it work?

Think about why we use dish soap in everyday life. It’s to clean our dishes and break down the fat that makes them greasy. Milk is mainly tiny droplets of animal fat dispersed in water; whole milk has a higher fat content than semi-skimmed, which is why it’s the best one to use. The washing-up liquid/dish soap breaks down the fat in the milk. We call it an emulsifier as it allows the water and fat to mix, creating an emulsion. The emulsifier (dish soap) molecules have a water-loving head and a water-hating tail. The tail sticks into the fat droplet and surrounds it, leaving only the water-loving heads. This allows the fat to mix with the water! While doing that, it scatters the food colouring molecules, giving the colourful display you see.

Properties of emulsions

Emulsions are thicker (more viscous) than oil or water and have many uses thanks to their unique properties.

Examples of emulsions in the kitchen

Salad dressings

Other examples are paint and some cosmetics.

Immiscible liquids

Immiscible liquids are those that don’t mix to form a solution.

Examples of Immiscible liquids

Vegetable oils do not dissolve in water. We can use this property of oil and water to make a density jar .

If a mixture of oil and water is shaken and then left to stand, tiny droplets of oil float upwards, and eventually, the two liquids will separate: a layer of oil will form on the surface of the water. However, if an emulsifier is added to the oil and water, a mixture called an emulsion forms, and the oil and water do not separate.

Extension task for magic milk experiment

Try testing different dish soaps to see if they all have the same effect.

Experiment with whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed milk.

Try one of my other exciting chemistry experiments .

Contains affiliate links

Last Updated on March 14, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

January 23, 2018 at 6:17 pm

We have done this with whole milk, 2%, fat free, cashew milk and non dairy creamers- they all work. The kids (6-11) like the version with q-tip dabbing soap in. They also experimented with placement of food color droplets.

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At-Home Science Experiments: Color-Changing Milk

Some very unusual things happen when you mix a little milk, food coloring, and a drop of dish detergent..

What You'll Need:

• Milk (whole or 2%)
• Dinner plate
• Food coloring (red, yellow, green, blue)
• Dishwashing soap (Dawn brand works well)
• Cotton swabs

What To Do:

• Pour enough milk in the dinner plate to completely cover the bottom to the depth of about 1/4". Allow the milk to settle.
• Add one drop of each of the four colors of food coloring — red, yellow, blue, and green — to the milk. Keep the drops close together in the center of the plate of milk.
• Find a clean cotton swab for the next part of the experiment. Predict what will happen when you touch the tip of the cotton swab to the center of the milk. It's important not to stir the mix. Just touch it with the tip of the cotton swab. Go ahead and try it. Did anything happen?
• Now place a drop of liquid dish soap on the other end of the cotton swab. Place the soapy end of the cotton swab back in the middle of the milk and hold it there for 10 to 15 seconds. Look at that burst of color! It's like the 4th of July in a bowl of milk!
• Add another drop of soap to the tip of the cotton swab and try it again. Experiment with placing the cotton swab at different places in the milk. Notice that the colors in the milk continue to move even when the cotton swab is removed. What makes the food coloring in the milk move?

What's Happening:

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.

This activity and images are courtesy of  Steve Spangler Science .

PLUS:  Mess-Free Experiments C old Weather Experiments F un Science Experiments for Kids

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Color Changing Milk

This is guaranteed to become one of your favorite kitchen chemistry experiments. some very unusual interactions take place when you mix a little milk, food coloring, and a drop of liquid soap. uncover the scientific secrets of soap..

Print this Experiment

This unforgettable hands-on learning experience is fun and easy—no wonder it’s one of Steve Spangler’s most popular experiments! Learn how to turn this activity into an awesome science fair project.

Experiment Videos

Here's What You'll Need

Milk (whole or 2%), dinner plate, food coloring (red, yellow, green, blue), dish-washing soap (dawn brand works well), cotton swabs, let's try it.

Pour enough milk in the dinner plate to completely cover the bottom to the depth of about 1 / 4 inch. Allow the milk to settle before moving on to the next step.

Add one drop of each of the four colors of food coloring—red, yellow, green, and blue—to the milk. Keep the drops close together in the center of the plate of milk.

Find a clean cotton swab for the next part of the experiment. Predict what will happen when you touch the tip of the cotton swab to the center of the milk. It’s important not to stir the mix—just touch it with the tip of the cotton swab. Go ahead and try it.

Now place a drop of liquid dish soap on the other end of the cotton swab. Place the soapy end of the cotton swab back in the middle of the milk and hold it there for 10 to 15 seconds. Look at that burst of color! It’s like the Fourth of July in a plate of milk.

Add another drop of soap to the tip of the cotton swab and try it again. Experiment with placing the cotton swab at different places in the milk. Notice that the colors in the milk continue to move even when the cotton swab is removed. What makes the food coloring in the milk move?

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 in the chemistry of that tiny drop of soap. Like other oils, milk fat is a non-polar molecule and that means it doesn’t dissolve in water. When soap is mixed in, however, the non-polar (hydrophobic) portion of micelles (molecular soap structures in solution) break up and collect the non-polar fat molecules.Then the polar surface of the micelle (hydrophilic) connects to a polar water molecule with the fat held inside the soap micelle. Thanks to the soap connection, literally, the non-polar fat can then be carried by the polar water. 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. This is why milk with a higher fat content produces a better explosion of color—there’s just more fat to combine with all of those soap molecules.

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.

Take It Further

Repeat the experiment using water in place of milk. Will you get the same eruption of color? What kind of milk produces the best swirling of color, skim, 1%, 2%, or whole milk? Why? This is the basis of a great science fair project as you compare the effect that the dishwashing soap has on a number of different liquids. Do you see any pattern in your observations?

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Babble Dabble Do

See Exploding Colors in the Magic Milk Experiment

February 25, 2022 by Ana Dziengel 24 Comments

See exploding bursts of color in the amazing magic milk experiment! We’ll show you some two ways to do the experiment and an extension idea for the project as well.

When you add a little bit of dish soap to milk and food coloring, the colors swirl around to form what I would deem very artistic and abstract paintings! For the science behind it scroll to the end of this post.

The magic milk science experiment is a simple science experiment you can do with everyday materials. I love showing kids how to do chemistry experiments using simple household supplies. In fact I would argue that some of the best at-home science experiments use kitchen ingredient s !

We did this project in our after school classes and when our students asked to “take it home” I told them they could easily recreate it in their own kitchen.

Video Overview

Detailed instructions for the magic milk experiment:, how to do the magic milk experiment, magic milk experiment materials.

• Almond Milk or Cow’s Milk
• Q-tips (Cotton Swab)
• Cotton Balls
• Food coloring
• Shallow plate or wide bowls

Magic Milk Instructions: Method #1

• Fill a plate or bowl with milk.
• Drop in at least 2 drops of each of four colors of food coloring. The more variety of colors the cooler the painting.
• Generously dip the end of a q-tip in dish soap.
• Now dip the q-tip (cotton swab) into the milk next to a drop of color.
• The first thing that will happen is the color will burst as soon as the dish soap hits it. It’s a great effect but very short lived. Once there is a little dishsoap in the milk it no longer “bursts”.
• Gently swirl the q-tip through the different colors and you’ll see little rivers of color start to form.
• Continue until the colors begin to mix and become brown. Empty your plate/bowl and repeat.

Magic Milk Experiment Instructions: Method # 2

Time needed:  10 minutes.

This version of the magic milk experiment lasts a long time, provided kids can restrain themselves from moving the cotton ball!

Pour a thin layer of milk in a plate or bowl.

Add a few drops each of food coloring on the center of the plate.

Soak a cotton ball in dish soap.

Carefully place the cotton ball in the center. The colors will explode out of the center!

Let the reaction continue until the colors begin to mix and become brown.

Tips & More

• You don’t need that much milk! I vastly overestimated how much we would need. For a class of 25 kids we used 1 1/2 gallons of milk.
• This is a great use of expired milk products. Put that small amount of whipping cream at the back of your refrigerator to use.
• Kids love the magic aspect of this project. We called the cotton swabs “magic wands.”
• Too much swishing and swirling and you’ll end up with brown muck fast. Of course kids don’t seem to care!

A word about food insecurity

We try to be respectful of the challenges children and families face including food insecurity. As an educator, I try to avoid using food in projects when possible. I make exceptions for projects that may have a lot to teach kids and where I feel we won’t be wasteful. That said, please think carefully about the population of students and families you serve before doing this project. Consider whether they would find this wasteful or offensive before proceeding. Also consider vegan families who may not want their children working with animal products; see some of the alternatives we suggest below.

Magic Milk Variations

• Try Different Milk Types  We have used almond and cow’s milk for this experiment and both worked well. The higher the fat content of the milk the more pronounced the “explosions” should be. A fun experiment would be to compare the results with different types of milk: almond, cow, rice, coconut. You can also experiment with cream, whole milk, and skim milk to see if there is a difference.
• Premix the soap and milk For a variation we premixed the milk and dish soap. You won’t have the color burst effect but it does seem to keep the colors separate a little longer.

The Science Behind the Magic Milk Experiment:

The dish soap molecules are attracted to the fat molecules in the milk. As soon as you introduce the soap to the milk/coloring mixture the molecules race around trying to bond. The food coloring gets pushed around in the process and appears to burst. Eventually the molecules all bond and the reaction stops.

This is a good example of how detergents work, their molecules have two ends: one end is attracted to oils and the other to water. One end of detergent molecules attracts oils and dirt from clothes, dishes etc., and as they stick together they break the oil and dirt down into smaller, easy to remove pieces.

How to Do the Magic Milk Experiment in the Classroom

If you would like to the magic milk experiment with a class full of kids here are step-by step instructions.

Per student Materials:

• (1) Small Plate or other shallow dish (make sure these are waterproof)
• (1) Large Plate or other shallow dish
• Tray to put underneath

NOTE: You may also use a divided plate as pictured above.

T eacher’s Materials:

• Milk 1.5 gallons per class of 25 students
• Tubs to collect dishes in afterwards

Sh ared Materials:

• Small bowl of dish soap
• Q-tips (Cotton swabs)
• Small bottles of liquid food coloring

Experiment #1 Procedure:

• Pass out per student materials. Ask students to place the small plate in the center of the table. It will be used for the second experiment. Ask students to place the large plate in the center of their tray.
• Explain the experiment first. Tell students they will be making colorful explosions using milk and food coloring and a “magic ingredient.” Tell students to use only a few drops of food coloring once it is available. Demonstrate how to carefully squeeze drops out of the food coloring bottles.
• Teacher(s) pour a thin layer of milk in each plate.
• Pass out the shared materials to each group of students.
• Ask students to carefully drop several drops of food coloring in the milk around their plate. Remind them not to disturb the color.
• When everyone has added color tell students to grab a “magic wand” AKA a Q-tip. Ask them to dip the wand into the magic ingredient (soap) but hold it to the side of the plate until everyone is ready. You can ask them if they know what the magic ingredient is.
• Do a countdown and on the count of 3 student should dip their q-tip into one of the drops of color. Instruct students to continue dipping the q-tip into the other drops. Listen for the oohs and aahs!
• When done the teacher should place the plates and milk in tubs to clean.

Experiment #2 Procedure:

• Ask students to place the small plate in the center of their tray.
• Teacher(s) pour a thin layer of milk in each small plate.
• Ask students to carefully drop a good squeeze of three colors of food coloring near the center of their plate. Remind them not to disturb the color.
• When everyone has added color tell students to dip a cotton ball in the soap.
• Instruct students to place the cotton ball in the center of the plate and not move it. See video below. This is an exercise in restraint!
• Watch as the color explodes out of the center of the plate/cotton ball.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ana from Babble Dabble Do (@babbledabbledo)

Turn the magic milk experiment into colorful paper!

Did you know you can expand on this experiment by making Marbled Milk Paper ?

Go HERE   for instructions: 

More Favorite Science Projects to Try:

Michelle - Little Paper Dog says

January 29, 2013 at 7:17 pm

So cool! I can’t wait to try this out with my little guy. 🙂

Ana Dziengel says

January 30, 2013 at 2:28 pm

Thanks Michelle! So simple and fun! BTW your blog is lovely! I particularly love that you have fast and easy projects; I’m trying to do something similar on my blog: quick, easy, simple projects using stuff you already have on hand.

Amanda Preiser says

April 18, 2013 at 5:06 am

This is awesome my daughter and I are going to do this today!

April 18, 2013 at 5:33 am

Thanks for stopping in Amanda! It’s a super fun and simple project. Enjoy!

August 21, 2014 at 11:08 am

Thanks! I’m an art teacher. There’s so many meet ideas I got from your blog. Thanks!

September 4, 2014 at 3:49 am

Linda, I’m thrilled to hear it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Denise says

August 23, 2014 at 1:45 pm

what type of paper did you use for the milk painting project?

September 4, 2014 at 3:51 am

Hi Denise, I used watercolor paper 🙂

Virginia says

January 3, 2015 at 12:34 pm

Did I miss something? I didn’t see directions for a little paper dog. I love this site. GREAT ideas Sorry if ? is dum! I can hardly wait to make the crystals. You know, Epsom salts have done ‘miracles’ ever since I knew of them! They were up front and most important in the “medicine cabinet” of my parents who had fifteen children, therefore many opportunities to use the salts for ‘injuries, localized infections and sore spots.’ Now I see they can add enormously to the decorations in my life as well as do almost magical “healing” Wish my Dad could see those! “What a Wonderful World!” Thank-you!

January 5, 2015 at 5:30 am

Thanks Virginia!

Rachel Holland says

February 7, 2015 at 9:57 am

I have tried this experiment out with my children today. I was really excited about it after seeing the lovely photo’s etc, however it was a bit of a flop. Tried it with Almond milk as suggested and semi skimmed cows milk, but when we put in the washing up liquid not much really happened. We changed the washing up liquid and got much better colour spread. However when it did the colours almost pretty much disappeared and trying to get paintings from them was so wishy washy. Are food colourings in the US very different to those in the UK, or do I just need to buy better colourings? I assumed that the liquid colourings from my local supermarket would be fine. I have also tried with gel colouring (which is the only thing that most stores stock) but this wasn’t particularly good either. I really want to make some lovely backings for Mother’s day cards etc but I am drawing a blank! Any help you could give would be great.

February 19, 2015 at 4:14 am

Hi Rachel, I’m sorry to hear this! Gel food coloring will not work. Regular food coloring should work fine. You will need to make the prints right away, if you wait until the colors are mixed you will get muddy results. And make sure you are using watercolor paper. I tried the project using cardstock and regular paper and they just didn’t absorb the color well. I hope this helps and please keep me posted!

J lewis says

February 19, 2017 at 10:09 am

Hello there, We used paste food colouring from cake shop, used to colour roll out icing, much better than the supermarket colours, which are useless for most things now as they have changed the formulas. Mix the colour paste with a little water to make a strong coloured liquid, we use this for colouring pasta too and play dough.

February 22, 2017 at 5:19 am

Thanks for the tip!

August 19, 2015 at 9:18 am

Was looking for the science explanation (chemical reactions) to share with the students while doing this? I like teaching the science of a science based experiment.

Neera Talukder says

October 25, 2015 at 6:56 am

can the whole milk be used as a substitute for almond milk ?

November 9, 2015 at 9:12 am

Absolutely!

Peggy Ashbrook says

November 30, 2015 at 4:27 am

I love it when you add the science concepts involved, both at an adult level to refresh our memories or learn new, and at a level appropriate for young children. Exploring the properties of art materials engages children in art and science!

August 16, 2016 at 5:13 am

Thanks so much Peggy!

Lisa Lewis says

January 21, 2016 at 8:07 am

I have tried the milk art 3 times with my grandchildren. We were very excited to watch the action of the colors in the milk but no much happened. I used whole milk, food colors, and Dawn dish soap. But once I put the drops of soap in the colors spread a little and then nothing else happened, I have read the posts and people talk about all the movement of the colors but we didn’t get that result. Am I doing something wrong?

August 16, 2016 at 4:51 am

Once the soap and fat molecules combine the reaction does stop. We like to swirl the milk using Q-tips after and watch the colors swirl.

Milton Garcia says

August 7, 2016 at 7:01 am

Messy. But I think my kids would love this activity.

August 15, 2016 at 8:06 am

They will love it!

Morgan says

August 23, 2016 at 12:22 pm

This looks like so much, and I love how it turns out. This would be a great project to take on with my four-year-old! Thanks so much for the idea!

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Crafts by Amanda

crafts for adults and kid's crafts

Magic Milk Experiment

Author by Amanda Davis on July 27, 2020 Updated on July 25, 2020

This cool magic milk experiment is fun to do and you likely have everything you need on hand. Got milk? Food coloring and dish soap? Then you are all set to do this colorful kitchen experiment!

Why this experiment works

Food coloring is less dense than the milk causing it to remain suspended in the fat molecules of the milk. When you add the dish soap, that breaks up the fat molecules, making the food coloring spread across the surface of the milk. Think of it like washing butter off your hands. The hand soap makes the fat in the butter separate, causing it to break up.

This magic milk experiment uses the simplest of ingredients and I’m going to bet you won’t need to go to the store!

Craft supplies you will need

Get full list of supplies and directions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Helpful Project Information:

• Age Level: 3 and up
• Mess Factor: Low (food coloring can stain fingers)
• Level of Difficulty: Easy
• Time to Complete: less than 5 minutes
• Cost Estimate: Less than $1.00

How to Perform the Magic Milk Experiment

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this project. Please scroll down to simply print out the instructions!

• Pour enough milk into a shallow dish or plate to cover the bottom.

• Place several drops of food coloring into the center of the milk. Repeat with additional colors.

• Squeeze one drop of dish soap into the center of the food coloring and what the magic milk in action!

• Another alternative is to dip a cotton swab into dish soap then dip that swab into the center of the food coloring.

Expert Tips & FAQs

• If really small children will be present, they can participate by pouring milk in using a small cup.
• After the design seems to lose action, you can add another drop of dish soap near the edge and watch all over again.
• Do not use gel food coloring. The density and volume of such a food coloring is not heavier than milk and the experiment won’t work.

This magic milk experiment is super fun for both kids and adults. The first time I tried it I was just as excited as the kids were!

More Science Crafts

• Balloon Experiment for Kids
• How to Make a Rubber Band Car
• Homemade Floam
• Colorful Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction
• Coffee Ground Fossils

I love to create and share my projects with you! I know it’s hard to remember to come back and search, so I’ve made it easy for you with my weekly newsletter! You can subscribe for free and I’ll send you fun crafts and delicious recipes every week right to your email.

• Shallow dish like a pie plate
• Liquid food coloring
• Cotton swabs

Instructions

• Do not use gel food coloring. The density and volume of such a food coloring is not heavier than milk and the experiment won't work.

This post originally appeared here on Mar 8, 2011 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips.

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July 5, 2022 at 10:01 am

Rated this project 5 but earlier I read use hand sanitizer and do they mean instead of Milk?????

Gayle Marriott says

September 2, 2019 at 11:59 am

Hi Amanda, my daughter and I tried this and it was so fun. I’ll use it for my Royal Ranger group at Church. We went a little further with it. We barely laid a piece of paper over the design, lifted it off quickly and came up with a design similar to the one in the dish. Laid it down to dry but sprinkled a little salt on it while wet and it made even a greater and brighter look. Thank you for tis really neat idea…..God bless….

Amanda Formaro says

September 9, 2019 at 5:43 pm

What an awesome idea, thanks for sharing that!

March 16, 2013 at 9:26 am

I did this with my 2 great grandsons and they absolutely loved it. They want to do it all the time now but can’t understand why we can’t save it. We ran out of the liquid food coloring, and like someone else posted, I can not find it. I usually shop at Krogers or Wal-Mart and both of them only had the gel ! I will keep looking tho. Thanks for sharing !

March 19, 2013 at 5:25 pm

That’s odd! They have all kinds of it in the stores around here. Are you looking by the extracts and spices?

November 27, 2012 at 3:19 pm

When I saw the first video, I was excited! My kids aren’t due home for another hour and a half, but I was getting the bowl out and the food coloring. Then I watched the second video where you used the qtip to create a star and I was like a little kid, sitting here going, “Whoooooa, Coool!” Thank you for the fun idea, can’t wait to hear my kids…

Amanda says

December 1, 2012 at 6:17 pm

How fun! Hope you had a blast with the kids Lisa! :)

Les Créateliers says

November 1, 2012 at 8:47 pm

I love this project! I posted it mon my website, you can see the page here: http://www.lescreateliers.com/Les_Createliers/Idees_Ideas/Entries/2012/11/1_Effet_marbreMarbled_effect.html Cheers! Marie-Eve

surferboy690 says

May 7, 2012 at 10:12 pm

Thanks for the great site. I need some help with reproducing the star. No matter what variation I try, I only get results like the first set of images. Nothing even closely resembling the star. I’ve tried cold/warm milk, more/less milk, more/less soap, more/less food coloring.

Can you suggest any more details to try to produce the star? Is the heavy cream vs milk the key? Thanks!

Sabina says

October 23, 2011 at 10:57 pm

Try adding HAND SANITIZER!!! Woah, that is funky! We tried it w/ the milk first and then experimented further with the hand sanitizer. It was cool to see the different reactions!

October 27, 2011 at 1:14 am

Oh how fun, thanks for that top Sabina, we’ll definitely try it!

Anonymous says

April 11, 2011 at 6:06 am

You are so talented!! I have been browsing through you site and you are truely gifted!! I love all the ideas and crafts!! I will definately be subscribing to you!!! ps I love this milk and food dye idea! cant wait to share it with my kids!!!

March 16, 2011 at 11:41 am

Thanks everyone, so fun!

Jackie – I'm surprised you couldn't find liquid food coloring, it should be by the spices, herbs and extracts. :) Of course, assuming you are in the U.S.!

March 15, 2011 at 7:52 pm

WOW!!, did'nt have food coloring, sent Hubby running (ha, he drove) to store & all they had was gel, did'nt work, sent him to few more place's & only gel, geez! wuwt!!, so, could'nt do it, but, Granddaughter used it to finger paint, she was happy, will look on-line for Regular food coloring. Can't wait to try this look's like so much fun.. TY Jackie Theisen

March 15, 2011 at 1:38 am

That is actually really cool! I've never seen that one before. Going to do it with my kids tomorrow!

KimberlyShavatt says

March 14, 2011 at 6:23 pm

That is a really cool trick. I can't wait to show my kids. Thanks!!!

March 14, 2011 at 12:49 pm

love love love all your fun stuff! thank you for posting all these ideas and crafts!!

Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says

March 13, 2011 at 4:12 pm

Beautiful! Every child would love this!

Josh and Melinda says

March 12, 2011 at 7:43 pm

NEAT!! Kid at heart, and going to go play with the kids! I'm thinking some white tissue paper or onion skin to lay on top and 'capture' their pattern!

Miz Helen says

March 11, 2011 at 2:00 am

Hi Amanda, What great fun! Your post is very informative and a great project for the little ones. Thank you for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and please come back!

MessyMissy says

March 10, 2011 at 4:06 pm

I love this. I used it before at the craft time I host at my local library….it is *always* a success!! I would love it if you would link this up to my Marvelous Mess party. I will picking one project to feature on my sidebar for a week!! Here is the link: http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com/2011/03/marvelous-mess-3.html

March 10, 2011 at 11:51 am

@Anon – That's an interesting idea! I don't think it would work though, I'm thinking it would just blue together. You could certainly try it though. Let me know if it works!

March 10, 2011 at 7:47 am

Oh WOW! Can you put paper on top to get a print?

March 9, 2011 at 9:19 pm

That is so cool!

Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes] says

March 9, 2011 at 8:10 pm

This is so awesome. I'm off to try it right now!

Rachel Harwood says

March 9, 2011 at 7:27 pm

SOOO much fun! I'd love for you to join my For the Kids Fridays link party!!

:)rachel at SunScholars.blogspot.com

Michelle says

March 9, 2011 at 1:33 pm

Oh this is fun. What a fun St Patrick's Day craft too with the rainbow effect.

RedTedArt says

March 9, 2011 at 1:18 pm

Oh my, that looks WONDERFUL and fun and so pretty! Love love love!!!

Maggy PS thank you for linking up Kids Get Crafty!

Nicolette @ Momnivore's Dilemma says

March 9, 2011 at 1:46 am

what a great rainy day project with my rugrats! bookmarking this! thanks for sharing, amanda!

March 9, 2011 at 1:42 am

Awesome doesn't begin to describe this. I don't even have kids and I may try this and make it just to see it react and change colors.

Deeba PAB says

March 9, 2011 at 1:12 am

This is real fun. My lad found something like this on you tube & we had a great time looking at him do it!

Denise * KKL Primitives says

March 8, 2011 at 9:44 pm

How pretty ! I can see my grand kids loving this! Thanks for sharing Amanda!

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Colour Changing Milk Experiment

Watch the magic happen with this Colour Changing Milk Experiment by mixing milk, food colouring and dish soap .

The kids will want to do this experiment over and over again, it is just so fascinating to watch the swirling effects of colour.

What you will need?

You will need milk (near use by date), shallow dish, food colouring, cotton buds (Q-tips) and dish soap.

Step 1-3 

1.  Pour some milk into the shallow dish.

2.  Add approximately 5-6 drops of food colouring.

3.  Prepare the liquid dish soap in a small bowl, adding a small amount of water and mix with the end of the cotton bud.

Step 4 

4.  Place the soap soaked cotton bud into the centre of the of the milk dish.

This photo was taken just after we placed the soap soaked cotton bud into the centre of the milk. It demonstrates how the coloured food dye disperses outwards to the side of the plate.

The food colouring begins to swirl and move around the plate once the dish soap soaked cotton bud is added. It appears to work like magic and is fascinating to watch as the many shades of colours start forming, combining and also separating leaving the bright white of the milk.

Some Ideas:

• Extend the learning by experimenting with different types of milk, such as soy milk, coconut milk, chocolate milk or butte milk.
• Learn about mixing colours – add only red and blue food colouring to make purple, yellow and blue to make green and red and yellow to make orange. The swirling effect mixes the colours together making a new colour.
• Experiment with full cream milk and skim milk. Are the results the same or are they different?

Let’s Learn – What is happening?

Milk is mainly made of water and the other big ingredient is usually fat (not all milk has the same amount of fat). The dish soap bonds with the fat in the milk. This bond is so strong that the water and food colouring are pushed out. The swirling effect is everything else moving around to make room for the dish soap and fat bond.

Learning Opportunities

• Language development: Using descriptive words to express ideas and opinions.
• Make connections with real life experiences.
• Promote scientific thinking: predictions, observations, comparison, reasoning, data gathering, experimentation and evaluation
• Hand-Eye Coordination and Control
• Cause and Effect
• Concentration

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About The Author

Janice Davis

6 thoughts on “colour changing milk experiment”.

Love the website and am doing a project for the science fair called color changing milk !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for all the lovely project ideas !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love the website

I love the idea and love it.

so cool i want to try this!

My students loved this experiment!

I am doing this for my project

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Hi and welcome to Learning 4 Kids!

My name is Janice and I am an Early Childhood Teacher in Australia.

I have a strong passion and love for teaching and creating meaningful learning experiences for my students. What I love most is watching children discover in those amazing light bulb moments. I hope Learning4kids brings you some useful ideas.

Laughing Kids Learn

Where learning is made fun

Magic Milk Science Experiment

August 3, 2014 by Kate 81 Comments

This particular science activity is lots of fun and a great introduction to those children who haven’t had much experience in observing chemical reactions etc. I had shared this magic milk science experiment  a long time ago and it proved particularly popular on my  Laughing Kids Learn Facebook page .

Recommended age: 2 years + (Active supervision is always advised with my activities)

You will need – 

• 1/2 cup – 1 cup milk
• 1 drop of dishwashing liquid
• food colouring
• toothpicks (optional)

This science experiment is simple to set up and quickly gets to the ‘wow factor’ that will bring a smile to your child’s face.

Simply begin by pouring milk onto a plate. You will need to ensure you have enough milk to cover the base of the plate.

Let the magic happen!!

Carefully add one drop of dishwashing liquid to the middle of the milk.

Quickly a chemical reaction will occur, which will see the colours begin to spread away from the dishwashing liquid drop and begin mixing and churning the colours.

It’s absolutely amazing and you can observe  it continually move and swirl for a decent amount of time!

What is the science behind it, simply put?

Milk is made up of mostly water but it does contain vitamins, minerals, proteins and small droplets of fat. The fat and proteins are super sensitive to changes in the milk and so when the dishwashing liquid is added a chemical reaction occurs.

The soap and fat work hard to join together, which causes the movement. When food colouring is added we are able to witness this chemical reaction occurring. See here for more information .

Going further

You might like to experiment further by adding an extra drop of soap to see if there is more movement. If you see more movement you’ve discovered that there was still more fat that hadn’t combined with the soap. You might like to continue the process.

Would your child love observing this science experiment?

Some other ideas you’ll love – 

August 9, 2014 at 2:07 am

This is so fun and easy. I really admire all of the cool experiments that you do with your little one.

March 27, 2017 at 3:32 am

You are right even though I don’t have kids.

August 9, 2014 at 2:08 am

Wow, this is so fun and easy. I really admire all of the cool experiments that you do with your little one.

August 9, 2014 at 3:59 pm

Awww thanks Nicole! We do have lots of fun. Thanks for popping by and taking the time to comment. 🙂

December 29, 2020 at 8:25 pm

What is the Aim behind this experiment?

August 11, 2014 at 11:25 pm

Love all the recipes please keep me posted.

August 12, 2014 at 8:49 pm

Have you subscribed to my blog Gwenda? I’d love to have you on board and that way you won’t miss a post. Click over to my blog http://www.laughingkidslearn.com and add your email address. Warm regards, Kate

August 18, 2014 at 4:33 pm

Great idea It doesn’t work with ecostore dishwashing liquid but my 3 year old had a great time swirling the colours Great blog!

August 18, 2014 at 4:58 pm

Thanks Heather for sharing that information. Very helpful! I’m really glad your little 3 year old still enjoyed the activity. We had lots of fun with it and little Possum found mixing the colours quite irresistible too. Hope you’ve had a chance to subscribe to my blog. Thank you kindly for your comments. 🙂

September 27, 2014 at 8:15 am

I love this and all of your posts. I have a little man (1 this December) and I have so many things to do with him, thanks to you! Cheers from Seattle!

September 27, 2014 at 9:06 pm

What a beautiful message to send me Meg. Thank you so very kindly. I’m thrilled to hear that you’re enjoying the posts I’m sharing and it is keeping your little one year old busy. I can imagine the visual of this science experiment would impress. 🙂

January 24, 2015 at 12:40 pm

I love your experiments. I teach a science club at the Boys & Girls Club And I frequently use your ideas.

January 26, 2015 at 5:02 pm

Thank you Dixie! I really appreciate hearing that. Feel free to send me through a photo and I can share it on our FB page. 🙂

February 24, 2015 at 2:29 am

This experiment is even better if you use half and half. More fat equals more reaction 🙂

February 24, 2015 at 8:11 am

So half milk and half detergent?

April 11, 2015 at 4:29 am

Half & Half is a high-fat milk product — half milk half cream.

April 11, 2015 at 11:49 pm

The more fat in the milk the greater the reaction will be thanks E. 🙂

December 7, 2015 at 10:56 pm

I would like to show this at a school in a slum area in Africa. However, I’m reluctant to “waste” any foodstuffs, in particular if the kids would long for eating/drinking it. Does anybody have an idea how the milk could possibly be replaced by other ingredients? Obviously fat would be required. I assume that the color of the milk also plays a role, so it is probably not easy.

December 7, 2015 at 11:16 pm

Thank you for your comment. I am no aware of any alternatives and can appreciate your thoughts on this. Is it possible for them to see a video of it being done. I know it isn’t the same as them actually doing it, but I’m sure they will still get the wow factor. Hope that helps.

January 19, 2016 at 12:35 pm

Thanks for this great idea! I am a homeschool mom and we are doing science experiment week. We are sooo doing this one this week! It’s very affordable and you already have the items on hand. Perfect!

January 19, 2016 at 11:33 pm

Hi Helen! So wonderful to receive your message. I’m thrilled you are going to give this experiment a go. We absolutely love it. 🙂

February 19, 2016 at 2:06 am

February 21, 2016 at 1:16 pm

You are very welcome Luke!

April 15, 2017 at 10:06 am

You could probably use oil and water as a substitute for milk.

Also, if you are going to use this to teach kids, it’s probably important to note that this isn’t a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions involve an irreversible change to the molecules themselves and are either exo or endothermic. This is neither. It’s actually physics…the milk’s surface tension is disturbed by the presence of dishwashing liquid (it probably wouldn’t work with dishwasher detergent, so if people are having issues, double check which kind of detergent you are using). Still a very cool demonstration of science. I can’t wait to try it with my niece.

April 16, 2017 at 5:52 pm

Thank you for your great comments. I will keep them in mind the next time I do a similar type activity.

September 9, 2016 at 3:42 pm

You named your child Possum?

September 11, 2016 at 8:35 am

February 11, 2019 at 5:22 am

September 27, 2016 at 11:30 pm

you make Grandparenting babysitting a “joy” …thank you for all the easy and quick ideas!

September 28, 2016 at 5:39 pm

Oh Joy, you make me smile from ear to ear. Thank you so much. Love to hear which activity you have enjoyed the most. 🙂

November 8, 2016 at 10:54 am

I’ve tried this with whole milk and 3 different types of dish soap and I can’t get it to work! What am I doing wrong?!

November 9, 2016 at 2:12 pm

How unusual! The fat in the whole fat cows milk reacts to the dish soap. I can only image that you might be using soap free variety of dish soap or a variation of milk (soy, almond etc won’t work). Let me know how you go Dena.

January 23, 2017 at 4:49 am

Thank you! My 8-year-old loved it and my 15-month old liked watching it. Thanks for sharing!!!

January 23, 2017 at 9:59 pm

You’re so very welcome Maria. Thrilled you were able to entertain both ages. 🙂

February 14, 2017 at 2:53 am

I tried this with my 3 and a half year old today & it didn’t work. We ended up with a murky mess. It seemed there was a reaction as soon as I added the food colouring (I hadn’t added the soap at this point). It was fun to do anyway as we tried to figure out why it didn’t look like your photos and we got a “wow” regardless! Thank you

February 14, 2017 at 6:05 pm

Hi Tracy. I’m so confused why it wouldn’t work for you! It’s the detergent attaching itself to the fat molecules in the milk that causes the reaction so you should see a reaction when you have the milk and food colouring together then add the detergent. Sometimes if you don’t have a full fat milk it can reduce the reaction. I’m glad you still had fun.

March 6, 2017 at 8:33 am

Is your child learning about colour? You’ll be amazed at the beautiful creation you make together in this easy and inexpensive activity! Who says art and science don’t mix?

March 25, 2017 at 4:24 am

The is goneing to be good i like a lot me will do it at home i like do cool thing

March 30, 2017 at 2:14 pm

Have fun with it. 🙂

November 12, 2018 at 1:58 pm

SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

November 19, 2018 at 11:00 pm

Thank you! 🙂

July 1, 2019 at 2:52 pm

I am from New Zealand.

June 4, 2020 at 12:59 am

Thank you so much! we had a blast!

June 9, 2020 at 2:11 pm

Yay! That’s wonderful news.

October 4, 2020 at 5:10 pm

Hello lovely blog and photos BUT please adjust your explanation. This is NOT strictly a “chemical reaction” as the molecules do not break and form new bonds to form new chemical entities, instead they simply move around due to intermolecular forces between the different molecules – fat, protein and water – where positive, negative, hydrophilic or hydrophobic ends of the different molecules attract or detract one another …here is an excellent explanation 🙂

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/adventures-in-chemistry/experiments/colors-move.html

October 5, 2020 at 1:13 pm

Gah, that’s a difficult explanation for a toddler. Can you somehow simplify for our younger audience? Thank you for helping me teach out community.

January 30, 2021 at 9:07 am

There is no chemical reaction going on here. Cute way of explaining hydrophobic, hydrophilic interactions but it is not chemical.

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BEARDED SCIENCE GUY

• Aug 15, 2023

The Magic Milk Experiment: A Dance of Color and Chemistry for Kids

Hello budding scientists and curious adventurers! Ever thought of transforming your kitchen into a vibrant laboratory? Dive into the Magic Milk Experiment – a fun, educational, and visually striking introduction to basic chemistry and chemical properties using everyday materials. Ready to experience the magic of milk?

Materials Needed for Your Magic Milk Experiment

A flat dish or bowl

Full-fat whole milk (crucial for optimal results in the Magic Milk Experiment)

Various food coloring shades

Cotton swabs or Q-tips

Liquid dishwashing soap

Step-by-Step Guide to the Magic Milk Experiment

1. Preparing the Canvas:

Fill the dish with milk just enough to cover the base, about a quarter-inch in depth. Let it rest momentarily to achieve a calm surface.

2. Splash of Colors:

Gently add multiple food coloring drops onto the milk's top layer. Keep them nearby but not overlapping. The more hues, the richer the Magic Milk Experiment display!

3. Magic Unleashed:

Drench a cotton swab's tip into the liquid dish soap – ensure it’s coated without dripping excessively.

Now, place the soapy swab end into the midst of one of the food coloring drops on the milk.

4. Behold the Magic Milk Experiment:

Watch closely! The milk bursts into dynamic patterns, presenting a dazzling display of swirling colors.

Dive Deeper with Your Magic Milk Experiment

Exploring Milks: Test with varied milk types like 2%, skim, or cream. How does each milk’s fat content shape the Magic Milk Experiment's outcome?

Soap Spectrum: Evaluate different liquid soap kinds or brands. How does a natural dish soap compare to its conventional counterpart?

Temperature Trials: Execute the Magic Milk Experiment with both chilled and room-temperature milk. Notice any variation in color dynamics?

Color Choices: Swap food coloring with watercolors or washable school paint. Observe how these mediums influence the Magic Milk Experiment's display.

Crafted Patterns: Design patterns using a toothpick and food coloring before introducing the soap. How does this initial pattern affect the subsequent display?

Soap Quantity: Alter the soap amount on the cotton swab. How does this shift affect the Magic Milk Experiment's outcome?

Zoomed View: Using a magnifying tool or even a microscope, delve deeper into the reaction on the milk surface. Any intricate details catch your eye?

Magic Milk Experiment demonstrates the principle of surface tension, where soap and its attraction to different molecules in the mixture disrupts the milk's surface tension, resulting in this visual spectacle. The Magic Milk Experiment isn’t merely about vibrant visuals; it sparks curiosity and opens doors to grasping fundamental chemical properties and the interaction between molecules. Such hands-on activities nurture children's innate wonder, cultivating an enduring passion for science. So, young explorers set your Q-tips in motion and delve into the mesmerizing world of the Magic Milk Experiment!

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Rainbow Magic Milk Science Experiment

Science or magic? This rainbow dancing Magic Milk Science Experiment is a fun way to explore the chemistry of surface tension.

This is one very cool experiment. To kids, it can appear more than a little magical but the effect is all science – no magic here. It’s a chemical reaction with surface tension in action! Check the explanation below the experiment procedure for more information about how and why the magic milk experiment works.

You will need:

• 1 Tablespoon dish soap/dishwashing liquid in a small container
• 1 1/2 cups of whole/full fat milk
• 10 drops of each of your chosen colours of liquid food colouring
• Dinner plate
• Cotton swab

1. Pour about one tablespoon of dish soap into a small container. Set aside.

2. Carefully pour milk onto a dinner plate. It’s okay if you see bubbles in the milk. Let the milk sit for a minute so that it stops moving in the dish, becoming completely still.

3. Drop food colouring into the milk in the middle of the dish. Keep the colours separate. The food colouring may spread out slightly as you can see pictured in our photos. You can get creative with where you place the drops and space them out how you wish.

We used neon food colouring for this activity, which looks really cool but you can stick with a classic colour palette or experiment with using just warm colours or cool colours.

4. Dip a cotton swab into the dish soap.

5. Place the dipped cotton swab in the middle of a colour and observe the magical reaction! You should see the colours start to spread out towards the sides of the plate. They will continue to move and change over time.

You can repeat this step a few times, placing the cotton swab in different areas of the milk/colouring mix.

Tip: Kids can also take their dipped cotton swab and “draw” or “swirl” in the food colouring. Eventually the colours will mix together until the milk becomes one color.

If you allow the milk to sit a while before all colours are mixed completely together, you will see the milk continue to move and change in really neat ways, as you can see in the photos.

Watch over time how different things look!

6. When complete, dispose of milk in the sink.

The Science Behind the Magic Milk Experiment:

Milk as a liquid is composed primarily of water, with much smaller percentages of carbohydrate, fat, protein and vitamins/minerals. Milk composition does vary according to the species and breed of animal, the animal’s feed and the stage of lactation of the cow.

Because of its web of hydrogen bonds, water molecules are highly attracted to each other, resulting in a high surface tension.

When the dish soap is added to the milk the soap acts as a surfactant , reducing the surface tension of the milk so that the food colouring can spread out.

Surfactant (definition): substance such as a detergent that, when added to a liquid, reduces its surface tension, thereby increasing its spreading and wetting properties. (source: britannica.com)

At the same time, the phosphates in the dish soap are reacting with the fat and protein content of the milk – the soap is trying to grab the globules of fat out of the milk to break them down, just like dish soap breaks down the grease when washing up. This interaction causes the fat particles to move around, creating the resulting swirls of moving colour.

For more STEM fun involving magic and colour, be sure to check out our cool eResource – Rainbows & Kaleidoscopes: 25 STEAM Activities Exploring Colour (and Color!) .

For fun, watch the magic milk experiment in action on a HUGE scale;

Christie Burnett is a teacher, author and mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to find engaging, high quality learning ideas.

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Fun with Mama

Toddler and preschool activities

Written by Nadia T • Mar 30, 2022 • Leave a Comment

Magic Milk Experiment – A Creative and Fun Activity for Kids

Wait until your child sees their magic capabilities with this Magic Milk Experiment . It’s a fun STEM activity that will have them wanting to do it over and over again.

Have some full cream milk that is about to expire? Then try out this magic milk experiment! This fun science experiment needs full cream milk, dishwashing liquid, food coloring, and water. Watch what happens to the food color when you touch dishwashing liquid to the full cream milk.

Your kids are going to be amazed when they can do this trick to show all their families and friend. It’s such a fun and simple activity that they can easily do.

Magic Milk Experiment – Creative and Fun Activity for Kids

Have you ever had one of those activities that just have your kids in awe and totally amazed? This Magic Milk Experiment is one of them! All you have to do is gather up a few simple supplies to get started and they’re going to have a blast.

All you need for this milk food coloring experiment is the following:

Materials used:

• Food coloring gel mixed with water
• test tubes (you don’t need these… you can use small bowls too.)
• dishwashing liquid
• q-tip or finger

Start by setting up all your supplies for the Magic Milk Experiment to get started. Once you create a space that is perfect for your child, they’re all ready to get started!

Let your kids be the ones to take control of this simple experiment. Have them start by adding full cream milk to their plate

Once that is done, have your child drop colors onto the milk.

Once they are done with adding in the colors, they can take a QTip or their finger into the dishwashing liquid and then put them right onto the milk.

Magically, the colors will “run away”.  Your child is certain to get a kick out of this!

This is such a simple activity that the kids can do over and over again. (Just make certain to buy enough milk from the store!)

What are the positive aspects of this Magic Milk Experiment?

Not only does it teach your child to learn how to follow directions on their own but it also gives them confidence that they can accomplish this experiment as well.

Just make certain that you’re there for parental guidance but this is one science activity that they can totally do!

And don’t forget to have them try this fun  Marble Painting For Kids , too. It’s another fun messy play activity that will showcase their creativity.

Aren’t those colors just wonderful and magical?

Set up their experiment station in their playroom and let them have so much fun!

Make certain that you share this fun experiment with other moms and kids. It’s a great way to have some simple Science fun!

Like this Magic Milk Experiment? Check out these other great science activities:

• Rain Cloud In A Jar Science Experiment
• Easy Elephant Toothpaste Experiment
• Walking Water Experiments For Kids
• Water Cycle in a Bottle -Water Cycle Activity for Earth Day
• Baking Soda And Vinegar Reaction

Nadia is a mom of 4, with a passion for making childhood education fun through play. She encourages parents to spend quality time with their kids through fun kids activities and enjoys art, traveling, and doing activities with her children.

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Milk and the Light Bulb

• February 29, 2024

As an enthusiastic preschool teacher, I am always on the lookout for fun and educational science experiments to engage my littles. . Recently, I came across a fascinating experiment on the Internet that promised to combine art, chemistry, and a touch of magic. Eager to try it out, I gathered my little scientists and embarked on what seemed like an exciting adventure. Little did I know that this experiment would teach us a valuable lesson about the importance of critical thinking and not trusting everything we read online.

The experiment involved placing milk in a shallow dish and adding drops of food coloring around the edges. A lightbulb was to be placed in the center, and finally, a drop of dish soap was added to the mixture. According to the instructions, the lightbulb was supposed to light up, creating a mesmerizing display of colors as the dish soap interacted with the milk and food coloring.

With anticipation and excitement, we followed the steps meticulously. The children’s eyes sparkled with wonder as they watched the food coloring mix and create captivating designs in the milk. However, the much-awaited moment of the lightbulb lighting up never came. We were left perplexed, scratching our heads, wondering what went wrong.

Upon reflecting on our failed experiment, I decided to delve deeper into the science behind it. As it turns out, the experiment we attempted is a popular one known as the “Milk and Soap Experiment” or “Milk Magic.” The dish soap, when added to the milk, disrupts the surface tension of the liquid. This causes the fat molecules in the milk to move, creating a swirling motion that carries the food coloring along with it, resulting in the mesmerizing patterns we observed.

However, the claim that the lightbulb would light up was where the experiment fell short. The Internet can sometimes be a source of misleading or inaccurate information, and this experiment was a prime example. The idea that the dish soap and milk mixture would conduct electricity and light up the bulb is simply not scientifically accurate.

I will add the video to our group.

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Science Project Ideas

Milk and Food Coloring

When kids perform this simple experiment, it seems as if they are just having fun with milk, food color and dish soap. But, on close observation, it is clear that it is nothing but physics in action. The educative, along with the fun aspect of the tie-dye milk experiment makes it ideal for the little ones.

Milk, Food Coloring, and Dish Soap Experiment

On touching the food color floating on the milk with detergent, the color would spread to the edge of the plate making a swirling motion.

• A shallow dish – a clear dish works best as you can clearly see what is happening beneath the surface. However, any other opaque or translucent dish or dinner plate works just as fine.
• Food coloring in four different colors.
• Milk with high fat content – Half-and-half or whole milk work best.
• Liquid dishwashing soap
• A clean cotton swab
• Pour milk into the dish to just cover the bottom. The layer of milk should have a height of about ¼ “. Allow the milk to settle.
• Add one drop of each of the food coloring to the milk. The drops should be placed close together near the center of the dish.
• Touch the colored milk at the center of the dish with the tip of the cotton swab. Do not stir the mixture. Note down your observation.
• Put a drop of the dish soap at the other end of the cotton swab.
• Place the soapy tip of the swab back at the center of the milk and hold it there for 10-15 seconds. Note down your observation. The color should churn out from the bottom of the plate to the surface.
• Add another drop of soap to the cotton swab and test the phenomenon again. Place the cotton swab in different parts of the milk and continue your observations. On touching the liquid at the edge of the plate, the color should mix and move around making cool patterns.

Magic Color Changing Milk Science Project Video

Tie dye milk explanation.

The principle at work here is surface tension. When you touch the milk without the soap, nothing happens.  The drops of food color, being less dense than milk, just sit on the surface where you placed them. Since you did not stir, they do not mix with each other much. But when you touch it with soap, the surface tension of the milk reduces. Soap molecules being bipolar, their hydrophilic (water loving) ends dissolve while the hydrophobic (water-hating) ends attach themselves to fat molecules, weakening the chemical bonds holding the latter together. Thus the fat gets dissolved.

The milk surface outside the soap boundary having a higher surface tension pulls itself away from the original spot, dragging the food color along with it. The movement gives rise to convection, drawing the food color down before popping it up again to the surface, some distance away. It is pure fun to watch the soap molecules race around to join with those of fat as the latter twists, contorts, bends and rolls in all directions. The food color is also bumped and shoved around everywhere, in the process.

As the soap evenly mixes with the milk, the movement slows before stopping completely. The addition of another drop of soap starts the motion once again.

Whether children perform the trick in the lab or a science fair, they are sure to garner a lot of attention. They can also utilize the color explosion to do different patterns of milk art as well. At the onset, instruct them to refrain from drinking any of the colored milk as it contains detergent. After the experiment is over, they should simply pour it down the sink to prevent it from spilling here and there.

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Magic Milk STEM Experiment: Colorful Science for Kids

Are you ready to have some STEM fun with your kiddos? There’s more to this Magic Milk experiment than meets the eye. Learn all about color mixing, chemical reactions, surface tension, and more!

STEM activities provide a fantastic opportunity for kids to explore the world around them and develop a love for science. The “Magic Milk” experiment combines the principles of chemistry and color theory to create a visually appealing and fun learning experience.

Magic Milk is a simple, inexpensive, and safe STEM activity that kids of all ages can enjoy!

Whole milk, food coloring, and a bit of dish soap come together to show children a magical explosion of colors.

This activity not only piques their curiosity but also serves as an excellent teaching moment to delve into the science behind the colorful phenomena. Learning the concepts of surface tension, chemical reactions, and color mixing can begin to cultivate a lifelong love for STEM subjects.

This is one of those simple science experiments that can teach kids things they never thought of before! I first learned about this food coloring experiment (and many other simple experiments) from the  Steve Spangler Science website .

If you love doing STEM activities with your kids, make sure you check out my Earth Day Science Experiment and Snow Volcano Experiment activities too!

Let’s dive in and have some science fun!

The Science Behind Magic Milk

You might be wondering what causes the amazing color explosion in the magic milk STEM activity. There are several factors to consider in this fun science experiment:

To understand what’s happening in the Magic Milk STEM activity, it’s important to know that milk is made up of water, vitamins, minerals, fats, and protein molecules. In this experiment, you observe the interaction between fat (in the milk) and soap.

The type of milk you use for this activity matters . Whole milk has a higher fat content (roughly 3.25%) than reduced-fat varieties (like 2% or 1%).

The fat content of the milk is important for the chemical reaction involved in the activity.

Love crafts and easy DIY projects? Grab this mini activity book for more by clicking the image below – free! 👇

Food Coloring

Now, let’s move on to the color explosion. The magic milk experiment relies on the interaction between milk’s fat molecules and dish soap.

When you add dish soap to the plate of milk, its molecules mingle with the fat molecules, causing swirling patterns of color. This is because dish soap molecules have a dual personality, with a water-loving head (hydrophilic end) and a water-fearing (hydrophobic) head or end.

As the soap molecules find their way into the milk, the hydrophobic end of a soap molecule grabs fat molecules. This forms little clusters called micelles, where the soap molecules surround and isolate the fat molecules. 

The colorful twist comes from the food coloring you’ve added to the milk. As the micelles move around, they push the food coloring molecules into different paths, leading to a rainbow of colors and mesmerizing patterns.

Surface Tension

The surface tension of the milk also plays a role in this activity. Surface tension is a property of liquids where molecules at the surface form a sort of dome due to their molecular bonds.

The dish soap disrupts the equilibrium of the milk’s surface tension, allowing the micelles to move freely and create those beautiful swirling patterns.

Magic milk is a great visual representation of scientific concepts, making it an excellent choice for a milk science fair project. Have fun experimenting with different types of milk to see how the fat content affects the results, and enjoy the dazzling display of colors!

Magic Milk Science Experiment Materials Needed

All you need to do this are a few common everyday ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen! 

Let’s make sure you have everything ready to dive into some colorful, milky science by gathering up these supplies:

• Whole milk – other percentages can be used as a variable
• Liquid food coloring – in a variety of colors like primary colors or pastel colors (I used orange, green, yellow, red)
• Dish soap (e.g., Dawn dish soap)
• Q-tips – cotton swab or cotton ball

Magic Milk Step-by-Step Directions

Introducing the Magic Milk STEM activity, an engaging and fun experiment for kids and preschoolers. This eye-catching activity provides a great opportunity for little scientists to observe fascinating color changes and reactions. Follow this friendly, step-by-step procedure to create some science fun at home.

Pour milk onto the large, shallow glass plate. Pour just a thin layer of milk to cover the bottom of the plate.

Drop 4-5 drops of food coloring (in the colors of your choice) around the plate. Leave a little space between each drop. 

Pro Tip: You can use as many colors as you like, and placing them near each other will create more exciting visual effects.

Each time you use a color, add a drop of dish soap to your cotton swab.

Place the Q-tip in the middle of the food coloring in the milk.

Watch what happens to the food coloring!

Swirl the Q-tip around and ‘paint’ the milk. Watch the cool patterns in the milk as you do this.

Observe The Magic Milk In Action

Touch the dishwashing liquid-covered Q-tip gently to the milk’s surface, preferably near the food coloring drops.

You’ll quickly notice the food coloring appears to burst and dance across the surface of the milk. This happens because the dish soap breaks down the fat molecules in the milk, causing the molecules to move quickly and spread out the food coloring within the milk.

The result is a mesmerizing display of swirling colors that is sure to inspire young minds!

Magic Milk Experiment Variations and Extensions

This experiment is easy and uses inexpensive materials. More importantly, it’s fun for kids!

If you’re looking to expand on the magic milk STEM activity, here are a few options to consider:

• Experiment with different types of milk:  Try using different types of milk, like skim milk, 1%, 2%, and whole milk to observe how the variations impact the experiment. Compare the results and see if your child can determine if the fat content in the milk has an effect on how the colors move. You can also try using different kinds of milk , such as almond, soy, or oat milk, to see how that variable impacts your results.
• Play with the colors:   Encourage your child to mix different food colors and see what new colors they can create in their rainbow milk experiment. This will give the experiment a creative touch and help your child learn color combinations when mixing different colors.
• Gel food coloring:  To take the experiment to another level, try using gel food coloring instead of liquid. Gel food coloring is more concentrated, so it might produce different results. This variation can help your child learn about the different forms and properties of colorants.
• Create patterns:   Teach your child to create various patterns (such as concentric circles), different shapes, a color grid, or even draw a simple picture using the food coloring drops. This offers to make an art project out of the science experiment.
• Play with the thickness of the milk:  Instead of a thin layer of milk on a dish, what happens if you use a glass of milk?

Here are some additional ideas for color-changing milk experiment variations and extensions that can be tried at home:

• Use a dropper to add the dish soap, and try placing it at different spots on the milk to see how the colors react.
• Experiment with different dish soap brands or even liquid hand soap, comparing how they affect the color explosion in the milk.
• Place a piece of paper on top of the milk after the colors have exploded and gently press on it. Carefully lift the paper and let it dry, creating a beautiful, one-of-a-kind piece of art!

Enjoy exploring these easy science experiment variations with your child, allowing them to develop their creativity while learning about the properties of liquids and colors.

Important Magic Milk Safety Notes

First and foremost, always have  adult supervision  when conducting this experiment with young children. While the materials involved are generally safe, adult guidance will help avoid any mishaps and ensure proper handling of the supplies.

Keep the food coloring and dish soap out of reach of children.

Here are some essential safety tips to remember while performing the magic milk activity:

• Use only non-toxic food coloring and dish soap that are safe for children.
• Be mindful of possible allergies to milk or any other ingredients used in the activity. If a child has a milk allergy, consider using a non-dairy alternative.
• Gently pour the milk into the shallow dish to prevent any spills, and securely close the food coloring and dish soap containers when not in use.

I HIGHLY recommend having paper towels or cleaning cloths handy to clean up any spills immediately to avoid stains.

Magic Milk Questions to Consider

As you conduct the magic milk STEM activity and take note of your magic milk experiment results, it’s helpful to keep a few questions in mind to promote critical thinking, observation, and understanding of the underlying concepts.

What did you notice before and after? 

Did you notice a plain layer of milk and food coloring drops sitting on top before you started the experiment? After adding the dish soap and witnessing the reaction, focus on the patterns and changes in the colors.

Comparing these observations before and after will help you understand how the dish soap interacts with the milk.

What happened when you put the Q-tip in the milk? 

When you dipped the Q-tip in dish soap and touched it to the milk surface, the colors likely moved rapidly and created an explosion of vibrant patterns.

Take note of how the colors interacted with each other, and how the movement changed over time.

Why do you think that happened? 

This reaction occurs because the dish soap disrupts the bonds between fats and water molecules in the milk, causing the food coloring to move along with the separation.

Consider how the chemicals in the dish soap and the properties of the milk contributed to this effect.

Why do you think the colors stopped moving? 

Eventually, the colors will slow down and stop moving. This is because the dish soap has reached a saturation point, where it cannot disrupt any more molecules in the milk.

It’s interesting to explore how saturation affects the reaction and its limits.

What else did you observe? 

Apart from the main reaction, there may have been other subtle details to observe. For example, maybe you noticed that different food coloring colors spread at different rates or created distinct patterns. Reflecting on your overall observations can lead to deeper comprehension and appreciation for the magic milk experiment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Whole milk is the preferred choice for the magic milk experiment due to its higher fat content. The fat in the milk interacts with the dish soap, allowing the food coloring to spread and create the “magic” effect. You could also use 2% milk, but the results might not be as vibrant.

The magic milk experiment is a short-lived activity. Once you’ve mixed in the dish soap, the reaction occurs for a few minutes before the food coloring settles and the milk returns to its original state. It’s best to enjoy the experiment while it’s happening and not try to preserve or store the outcome.

If you’re having trouble with your magic milk experiment, there could be a few reasons. First, make sure you’re using whole milk, as the high fat content is essential for the best results. Second, ensure you’re using liquid food coloring, as gel or powdered forms may not produce the desired effect. Finally, check that you’re adding the dish soap correctly: add just a drop of soap in the center of the milk and the food coloring to see the reaction take place.

The magic milk experiment relies on the fat content in dairy milk for the reaction to occur. Almond milk, being a non-dairy milk substitute, generally has a lower fat content than whole milk. Although you can still try the experiment with almond milk, the results may vary and might not be as vibrant or impressive.

More Hands-On Fun

Isn’t this science activity lots of fun?! If you want even more great ideas and inspiration, check out these posts:

• Dancing Raisins Experiment
• Fireworks In A Jar Science Experiment
• Easy Rainbow Walking Water Experiment
• DIY Rainbow Spaghetti For Sensory Fun
• How To Melt Crayons Into New Shapes

Magic Milk STEM Experiment

Ingredients.

• Large dinner plate
• 1-2 cups of whole milk
• Food coloring (orange, green, yellow, red)
• Small container dish soap

Instructions

Pour milk onto the large glass plate. Pour enough milk to cover the bottom of the plate.

Drop 4-5 drops of each color of food coloring around the plate. Leave a little space between each drop. Dip a Q-tip into the dish soap each time you use a color.

Place the Q-tip in the middle of the food coloring in the milk. Watch what happens to the food coloring!

Swirl the Q-tip around and ‘paint’ the milk. Watch the cool patterns in the milk as you do this.

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The Rainbow Milk Experiment

• Milk (whole milk works best)
• A dish (a shallow pyrex dish works best)
• Washing up liquid
• Food dye (colours are up to you!)
• Q-tips/cotton buds

• Pour some milk into the dish, enough to cover the bottom of the dish.
• Add a few drops of food dye to the milk (mix and match the colours!)
• Dab the end of the cotton bud into the washing up liquid
• Finally, dip the cotton bud into the milk and watch!

The science behind it :

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