A magic milk experiment perfect for Christmas activity time with toddlers.
It is always fun creating an activity for our little ones that is also educational and will leave them with their mouths open wide in amazement.
It is such a simple experiment that our children can get involved and be part of the magic.
It definitely has the wow factor that’s for sure!
Watch the white milk turn into a whirlwind of colour.
You could easily decide a particular theme based on the time of year or setting.
Toddlers can get involved in different ways depending on their age:
- Younger toddlers can watch the explosion of the colours and for sure finish with their hands in the milk- There are no nasties to worry about getting it in their mouth.
- Older toddlers can drop some food colouring into the milk and place the cotton buds into the mixture to set off the colour explosion.
Benefits
- They can learn one of their very first science experiments
- We can encourage them to talk & learn about colours and the mixture of different colours together. Try mixing two colours and see what colour is created.
- They Can practise their hand-eye coordination when trying to put cotton buds into the food colouring,
- Sensory activity
Materials Needed For Magic Milk Experiment
- Milk ( I used semi-skimmed but you could try other varieties to see if the experiment differs)
- Cotton buds/ Q Tips
- Shallow Tray/ Bowl
- Liquid Food Colouring (Note: Don’t use gel dye as it won’t work as well)
- Dish Soap
The Science Behind The Magic Milk Experiment
As explained by babbledabbledo.com
Milk is made up of mainly water but it does contain vitamins, minerals, proteins and small fat droplets.
The protein and fat are super sensitive to any changes in the milk.
The molecules in the dish soap are attracted to the fat molecules in the milk.
As soon as you introduce the soap to the milk/colouring mixture the molecules race around trying to bond.
The food colouring gets pushed around in the process and appears to burst.
What you are seeing is the chemical reaction happening.
Instructions
- Pour milk into a shallow tray. There is no need to be excessive with the milk, as long as it covers the base of the tray then this will work.
- Add a few drops of food colouring to the milk. You can use a single colour or multiple. I have gone for the atypical Christmas colours red and green to go with our Christmas activities theme .
- Dip a cotton bud into dish soap. Such a simple but important step in order for the experiment to work.
- Place cotton bud into the food colouring.
- Watch the science experiment work and be amazed! The colours will disperse in all different directions at what seems like an accelerated speed when the cotton bud touches the dye.
Magic Milk Christmas Science Experiment
A super fun experiment for you and your toddlers to add to your Christmas activities list.
Ingredients
- Milk
- Tray
- Liquid Food Colouring
- Cotton Buds/Q-Tips
- Dish Soap
Instructions
- Pour milk into a shallow tray. Use just enough milk to cover the base of the tray.
- Add a few drops of food colouring into the milk. Use a single colour or multiple.
- Dip a cotton bud into dish soap.
- Place the cotton bud into the food colouring.
- Watch the milk turn magic.
Notes
Use liquid food colouring rather than gel food colouring as the gel won't work well in this experiment.
What are your favourite Christmas activities/ experiments to do with your toddlers?
If you want to get in the Christmas spirit some more, check out:
One Comment