the magic milk experiment

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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

How do you make magic milk or color changing rainbow milk? Let us show you how easy and fun simple science experiments can be! The chemical reaction in this magic milk experiment is fun to watch and makes for great hands-on learning. The perfect kitchen science as you already have all the items for it in your kitchen. Setting up science experiments at home is easier than you think.

WHAT IS MAGIC MILK?

We love super simple science experiments that you can pull out on a rainy afternoon (or in any weather). This magic milk experiment has to be one of our favorites and definitely for science experiments with milk!

Kids are naturally curious, and sharing fun, simple science activities at home or in the classroom is just another way to get kids to learn. We love to keep our science playful too! No two magic milk experiments will ever be the same!

Click here to get your free printable science guide!

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If you want to make this truly a science experiment or even a milk science fair project using the scientific method , you need to change one variable . You could repeat the experiment with different types of milk, such as skim milk, and observe the changes. Learn more about the scientific method for kids here .

• Full Fat Milk
• Liquid Food Coloring
• Dawn Dish Soap
• Cotton Swabs

NOTE: There are so many fat percentages available that the milk used is a fantastic variable to consider! Low-Fat Milk, Skim Milk, 1%, 2%, Half and Half, Cream, Heavy Whipping Cream…

MAGIC MILK INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: Start pouring your whole milk into a shallow dish or flat bottom surface. You don’t need a lot of milk, just enough to cover the bottom and then some.

If you have leftover milk, try our milk and vinegar plastic experim ent !

STEP 2: Next, you want to fill the top of the milk with drops of food coloring! Use as many different colors as you like.

TIP: Use a variety of colors or give your magic milk experiment a theme for the season or holiday!

STEP 3: Pour a small amount of dish soap into a separate bowl, and touch your cotton swab tip to the dish soap to coat it. Bring it over to your milk dish and gently touch the surface of the milk with the soapy cotton swab!

TIP: Try a cotton swab without dish soap first and see what happens. Talk about what is observed, then try the dish soap-soaked cotton swab and check out the difference. This is a great way to add more scientific thinking to the activity.

What happens? Make sure to read about how the magic milk experiment works below!

Remember, each time you try this magic milk experiment, it will look slightly different. It’s a fun fireworks science activity for the 4th of July or New Year!

Also, check out: Fireworks In A Jar Experiment

HOW DOES THE MAGIC MILK EXPERIMENT WORK?

Milk is made up of minerals, proteins, and fats. Proteins and fats are susceptible to changes. When dish soap is added to the milk, the soap molecules run around and try to attach to the fat molecules in the milk.

However, you wouldn’t see this change happen without the food coloring! The food coloring looks like fireworks because it’s getting bumped around , a color explosion.

The soap lowers the surface tension of the milk. When the soap molecules head for the fats, they form spherical micelles. This causes movement and creates cool bursts and swirls of color. After all the fat molecules have been found and equilibrium has been reached, there is no more movement. Are there any more hiding?

Try another cotton swab dipped in soap! 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

• What did you notice before and after?
• What happened when you put the cotton swab in the milk?
• Why do you think that happened?
• Why do you think the colors stopped moving?
• What else did you observe?

MORE FUN COLOR-CHANGING MILK EXPERIMENTS

Magic milk experiments are super easy to create themes with for different holidays! Kids love mixing in a favorite holiday with science. I know this from experience!

• Lucky Magic Milk
• Cupid’s Magic Milk
• Frosty’s Magic Milk
• Santa’s Magic Milk

MORE FUN SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS TO TRY

Love seeing chemical reactions? Check out our list of chemistry experiments for kids .

• Skittles Experiment
• Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano
• Lava Lamp Experiment
• Growing Borax Crystals
• Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment
• Pop Rocks and Soda
• Magic Milk Experiment
• Egg In Vinegar Experiment

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17 Comments

This activity is a staple in my house! 🙂 I wanted to say that, even though you say it’s great for little kids, my older kids (6 and ELEVEN) still love this, too!!! I’m not kidding- my eleven year old son asked to do magic milk last month. 🙂 Great fun!

This looks like a terrific idea to do with my kindergarten class! However, is there a possible substitute I can use for the milk?

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Interesting and funny experiments. I like fireworks activity. A ton of value in cheap science activities and experiments.

My son suggested swapping out the soap for sanitizer and it is awesome. The color just explodes!

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The experiment was fun. We read the explanation about the soap attaching to the fat molecules. We tried it with fat free milk and the same result occurred. Why?

I things with my 4 year old grandson, and this was amazing, we did over and over and when his mom came home from work, he had to show her. Thank you so much for sharing, as on a limited income your free things help me help him learn. Sincerely, it was fun looking forward to the next experiment.

Awesome! So glad to hear he loved it that much!

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Magic Milk Experiment: How-To Plus Free Worksheet

This classic experiment teaches kids about basic chemistry and physics.

This fun experiment is a classic for a reason! In the magic milk experiment, kids learn about simple chemical reactions and physical properties using only a few ingredients. Read on to see how to do the experiment, and fill out the form on this page to grab your free recording sheet.

How does the magic milk experiment work?

In this experiment, you pour some milk into a shallow dish. You then add drops of food coloring to the surface of the milk. Using a cotton swab dipped into dish soap, you lightly brush the surface of the milk. The dish soap breaks the surface tension of the milk, and the soap molecules try to attach to the fat molecules in the milk. This causes swirls and bursts of fun rainbow colors.

What does the magic milk experiment teach?

This experiment teaches us about the science of molecules and how substances interact. The soap breaks down the fat molecules and makes them move apart, showing us a simple but fascinating example of chemistry in action!

Is there a magic milk video?

This video shows two different ways to do the magic milk science experiment, using very similar ingredients.

Materials Needed

To do the magic milk experiment, you will need:

• Shallow bowl or plate
• Milk, blue dish soap
• Cotton swabs
• Food coloring (inexpensive works better than gel coloring)

Our free recording sheet is also helpful— fill out the form on this page to get it.

Magic milk experiment steps:

1. pour milk into a shallow dish or bowl, just enough to cover the bottom..

2. Add drops of food coloring all over the surface of the milk.

3. Dip the end of a cotton swab into a separate dish of blue soap.

4. Lightly brush the top of the milk with the cotton swab, and watch what happens!

Grab our free magic milk experiment worksheet!

Fill out the form on this page to get your worksheet. The worksheet asks kids to guess the correct order of the steps in the experiment. Next, kids must make a prediction about what they think will happen. They can use the provided spaces to draw what happens before and after they add the dish soap. Did their predictions come true?

Additional Reflection Questions

• What happened when we added the soap to the milk?
• Why do you think the colors appeared on the milk’s surface?
• What do you think would happen if we added more soap to the milk?
• What do you think would happen if we used a different liquid instead of milk?

Can the magic milk experiment be done for a science fair?

Yes! If you want to do the magic milk experiment for a science fair, we recommend switching up some of the variables. For example: Does the fat content of the milk matter? Does the type of dish soap matter? Form a hypothesis about how changing the variables will impact the experiment. Good luck!

Looking for more experiment ideas? Check out our big list of experiment ideas here.

Plus, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters for more articles like this., you might also like.

72 Easy Science Experiments Using Materials You Already Have On Hand

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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?

Related Posts

Save Your Favorite Ideas

If you are looking for an easy science experiment that only requires a few supplies from your kitchen, try this magic milk experiment!  Kids will love seeing the milk magically swirl on its own!

RELATED: Grow a Rainbow

Magic Milk Experiment

Amaze your kids with this magic milk science experiment. You only need a few simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen – milk, food coloring, and dish soap. Kids will love this experiment and will want to do it over and over!

What is the Science?

This science experiment is a great way for kids to learn about protein and fat molecules. Adding dish soap to milk breaks up the fat molecules in the milk. By adding food coloring, this process is visible to the naked eye!

Milk has tiny amounts of fat. The secret to the explosion is the soap. When the soap is added to the milk, we are seeing the soap molecules moving around trying to join up with the fat molecules.

The food coloring molecules get moved around in the process, showing us what is happening between the milk, fat, and the soap.

Once the soap and milk gets evenly mixed the movement of the food coloring stops.

Higher fat milk will produce more explosion because there is more fat to mix with the soap.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Follow-up experiments.

Try changing variables such as the type of milk. Try skim milk, 1% and 2% milk to see if the fat content affects the results.

You can also place cookie cutters in the milk and add the food coloring inside to create different shapes!

Supplies Needed

• Milk – high fat milk works better (we used 3.25%)
• Dish soap – Dawn dish soap works well (the natural brands will not work as well)
• Food Coloring – you want water-based food coloring (regular food coloring you can get at the grocery store)
• Small dish or shallow bowl
• Cotton swabs or cotton balls

Steps to do a Magic Milk Experiment

1. Pour milk into a shallow bowl or dish.

You only need a small layer of milk. If you have expired milk, this is a fun experiment to try!

2. Add drops of food coloring to the milk.

3. Dip a cotton swab in dish soap and touch it to the food coloring in the milk.

You can also soak a cotton ball. Gently tap the cotton swab onto your food coloring or drop your cotton ball in.

4. Now watch the magic!

Kids can add more food coloring in and continue to dip the dish soap onto the food coloring until it no longer moves. You can also try different colors!

We love this experiment because it only requires a few supplies and it’s fun to try over and over again!

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1 thought on “magic milk”.

can’t wait to try this with my babies!!

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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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Exciting Magic Milk Science Experiment for Kids

If you are looking for a simple science activity to do with the kids, then look no further! This magic milk science experiment is perfect for you! It amazes the kids every time and it is super easy to do too! Just grab a few household supplies and have a blast with magic milk!

Anytime that a science experiment excites the kids and only takes me a couple of minutes to set up, I feel like a total winner. This one did not disappoint.

*Note: This should be done with adult supervision at all times.

You probably already have all of the supplies in your home and it is something you can do again and again. Keep reading and I will show you how simple this is.

Another thing I love about this science activity is that even preschoolers can participate and enjoy it. My four-year-old thought it was amazing and she was fully able to participate in the whole thing.

Magic Milk Science Experiment

To set up the magic milk science experiment, you only need to grab a few supplies.

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• Liquid food coloring – gel doesn’t work well
• Cotton swabs

That’s all you need! I bet you have most of them already.

Watch the Magic Milk Experiment Video

Magic milk experiment instructions.

It’s super simple to set up.

1. Pour a thin layer of milk in a shallow pan.

2. Have the kids add drops of food coloring all around in the milk.

3. Then the kids will pick up a cotton swab and dip it in the dish soap.

4. Then put the cotton swab in the milk – pressing it down in one spot and holding it there for about 15 seconds.

Watch what happens! There will be lots of ooohs and ahhhs. And maybe even some questions about what it is happening.

That’s where you can come in and ask a few questions.

How Does the Magic Milk Experiment Work?

Here are some questions to ask the kids:

• What did you notice?
• What happened when you put the cotton swab in the milk?
• Why do you think that happened?
• Why do you think it stopped moving around after a period of time?
• What else did you observe?

After you have discussed this, then you can explain the science behind it. Because I share activities for parents and teachers of young children, I am going to explain this in simple terms.

Milk is made up of minerals, proteins and fats. When the dish soap enters the milk the fat begins to break up. The soap molecules run around and try to attach to the fat molecules in the milk. Normally this process would be invisible to you, but the food coloring helps you to see all of the movement taking place.

Press another dish soap covered cotton swab into the milk and see if there are anymore fat molecules that haven’t been found. If you still see movement, there were still some fat molecules on the loose!

To read a more detailed explanation of what is taking place during this science investigation, check out this article from Steve Spangler .

Expand on the Magic Milk Experiment

Try the magic milk experiment with 1%, 2% and whole milk. Observe what happens and keep a record of how the milk behaves with each type of milk. Did you notice a difference?

If you do this with water will the colors still move all around like they did in the milk?

More Simple Science for Young Kids

These Simple Science Experiments for Preschool are sure to be favorites for the kids!

If you enjoyed this science experiment, then you will love this lava lamp science activity ! It is super simple and really, really fun!

Or give this leak-proof bag science activity a try. It will AMAZE your kids.

Magic Milk FAQ

1. Pour a thin layer of milk in a shallow pan. 2. Have the kids add drops of food coloring all around in the milk. 3. Then the kids will pick up a cotton swab and dip it in the dish soap. 4. Then put the cotton swab in the milk – pressing it down in one spot and holding it there for about 15 seconds. Watch what happens! There will be lots of ooohs and ahhhs. And maybe even some questions about what it is happening.

In general, milk in the magic milk science experiment should not sit out of the refrigerator or cooler for longer than  two hours .

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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Magic Milk Science Experiment for Kids with Video

The Magic Milk Science Experiment is a fun and simple experiment for children of all ages. It’s an excellent Science idea for preschoolers and Kindergarten as an introduction to learning about chemical reactions and colors. This color-changing milk experiment is guaranteed to become one of your favorite kitchen chemistry experiments, and you can change up the colors for seasons and holidays.

Milk Science Experiment

Magic Milk Science Experiment for Kids

Not only is this Magic Milk Experiment easy and fun for kids, but it’s also a great way to teach them about the science of milk! All you need is some milk, food coloring, and dish soap – and you’re ready to amaze your little ones with this cool chemistry trick.

Magic Milk Experiment Explained

Magic milk is a popular science experiment that involves using everyday ingredients to create a dramatic color-changing reaction when food coloring is added. By adding whole milk and dish soap to a shallow bowl and then carefully dripping in drops of lemon juice, vinegar, or diluted baking soda, fascinating reactions occur as the magic milk starts to move and change colors.

This experiment allows kids to explore everyday substances found around the house – grocery store lemon juice, dish soap, and milk! – while learning about the science behind chemistry, surface tension, and chemical reactions.

Science Activities for Kids

Materials needed for the Magic Milk Experiment

Gather all the essential materials for your experiment:

What you will need to make your  Magic Milk Experiment  is in the picture below. However, I have it displayed in list form towards the bottom of the page. Have Fun!

Science Project Ideas

If you are looking to make this a Montessori Science activity place these materials out on a tray for your children to enjoy for the day. If you want to do this activity together in a classroom or at home, this is all you need to make this a fun, hands-on science experiment.

affiliate links can be found on this blog at no cost to you.

Color Changing Milk Experiment

For this experiment, you only need a gentle drop or two of liquid dish detergent directly in between color droplets.

Begin by pouring some milk into a pie pan or shallow container.

Add several drops of different colored food coloring scattered over the surface of the milk.

The reason behind the milk change is the molecules of fats and proteins in the milk are being broken down by the soap. Then the soap chases the fat molecules, trying to join with them.

You can use cotton swabs to break apart colored molecules and watch how each reacts to the addition of soap. Now that you are prepped with supplies, you are ready to take part in an exciting experiment!

Magic Milk Science Activities for Kids

Montessori science activities.

This is an easy and super fun science experiment that uses common kitchen materials, so you probably don’t even need to go to the store. It only takes a couple of minutes to prepare on a tray, and children as young as 3 can do this science experiment independently.

Magic Milk Science Experiment Lesson Plan

Not Only Science…

Encouraging your child to make art with everyday materials is a great way to fuel creativity. Allowing them to explore the process of pouring milk into a bowl and adding drops of food coloring can be an exciting activity for young minds.

Food coloring is non-toxic, and it’s a fun and easy way for your child to learn about how liquids can blend and blend to create unique color combinations. This activity not only promotes creativity but can also help develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as well.

When the milk stops moving and the reaction is finished, you can repeat the steps as many times as your children like. You can also change up the colors depending on holidays and themes too.

The swirls and bubbling of the milk colors kept going and going after the reaction. It was so cool to watch; the kids loved it!

Magic Milk Experiment

Have you ever wondered what happens when you mix milk, food coloring, and dish soap? With this magic milk science experiment, watch as the colors swirl around in a mesmerizing fashion. Each of the ingredients has its own properties that come into play during this experiment.

The lipid molecules in the milk are attracted to the dish soap, causing them to break apart. This creates a reaction that disperses all of the colors throughout, ultimately mixing them in a super cool way.

Try out this magic milk science experiment for yourself and feel like a scientist!

Preschool Science Experiments

● Milk ● Pie pan or another shallow container ● Food coloring – We used Red and Blue ● Cotton balls or Qtips ● Blue colored dish soap

Instructions:

1. Begin by pouring some milk into a pie pan or other shallow container. 2. Add several drops of food coloring scattered over the surface of the milk. 3. Pour in some drops of red food coloring on the surface of the milk. For the best results, try not to mix the drops of food coloring together yet. 4. Dip a cotton ball into blue colored dish soap. 5. Place the soap covered cotton ball or Qtip into the center of the milk. 6. Watch as the colors magically swirl and twirl through the milk in the container. 7. You can dip additional cotton balls or Qtips into the dish soap and place them throughout the container into the milk to see the colors swirl in different directions.

**We used Blue and Red the first time because we enjoyed this Science Experiment over the summer (4th of July), then we did it again with a variety of colors. You can make this fun and add as many colors as you’d like. Think rainbow, or do other colors for different holidays.   

Pin This Magic Milk Science Activity to Save for Later

Engage your students and children by sparking their curiosity with the magic milk science experiment lesson plan!

This engaging activity gives them an opportunity to bring out their creative side, as it encourages them to explore the science behind making all sorts of magic colors. Whether they choose to examine the effects of changes in temperature or compare different brands of food coloring for the most vibrant results, each student will be delighted when it’s time to enjoy their colorful creation. As a bonus, you may also find that this experiment fosters a newfound appreciation for science among your students!

If you are interested in a more in-depth explanation, head over to  Steve Spangler Science  for a full explanation.

So there you have it – a simple but very magical activity that your child is sure to enjoy! If you’re looking for more preschool science experiments, be sure to check out some of our favorites below.

From exploring colors changing with Jelly Beans to creating homemade slime , there’s something for everyone.

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Magic Milk Science Experiment for Kids

Categories Science , STEM

This Magic Milk Experiment is a fantastic science investigation that is always lots of fun. With just a few simple ingredients you can learn all about soap and how it affects different kinds of milk.

You can do this experiment with young children, like preschoolers, to get them excited about learning. Or older kids can make their own magic milk science fair project.

Disclosure: Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times.

Table of Contents

• More STEM activities to try
• Materials needed
• Watch the video

Instructions

• What is the science you’re learning
• Why is this important
• Turning it into an experiment
• Free printable recording sheet

More STEM Activities to try

Kids of all ages love a classic science activity. If you want another fun way to teach your kids STEM, then check out these other fun activities.

• Make a Book – STEM Invitation to Play
• How to Make A Pom Pom Shooter
• Floating City – STEM activity for Kids
• What Melts In The Sun Science Experiment
• Pine Cone Science Experiment

For more ideas, take a look at these 42 STEM Activities for Kids .

Materials Needed

• 1 Cup of whole milk
• Food coloring
• Cotton bud (optional)

Watch the Video

​How to do the Magic Milk Experiment

1. pour a glass of milk onto a plate..

You’ll need a wide, shallow dish for this simple science experiment. A plate, which allows for a thin layer of milk is perfect for watching the color explosion that is about to happen.

2. Add drops of food coloring.

I added a variety of colors to my milk. Just placing drops all throughout the surface of the milk. 

You can add your drops wherever you like. If you are doing this with a curious preschooler who will want to try it more than once, you can even experiment to see what happens when you only place dots near the center of the plate versus what happens when you only place them around the edge.

I definitely added too much food coloring to my milk, feel free to just add a few drops because the experiment will still work.

​3. Place a drop of dish soap in the middle

Place a little dish soap (you’ll only need a drop) in the middle of the plate. 

I just poured mine straight out of the bottle. However, it may be easier for young kids to scoop up a few drops of soap using a cotton swab and then placing the swab in the middle of the milk.

4. Watch the reaction.

The colors in the milk will instantly move to the outer edges of the plate. But if you keep watching then you’ll see the constant movement of colour as the colors swirl around all by themselves. This is best to see in the video , which shows a sped up version of 10 minutes of the reaction happening.

The Science Behind the Magic

What is actually happening to make this milk magic?

Milk consists of a variety of different molecules including proteins, nutrients, fats and water. In this experiment we are going to be focusing on the fat molecules (which are non-polar) and water molecules (which are polar). 

These two molecules do not mix. When they are in milk, they are floating around separately.

Soap is both polar and nonpolar, which means it will be attracted to and bond with both fat and water. The hydrophobic part will bond with fat and the hydrophilic part will bond with the water. This means that soap acts like a bridge or a magnet between these two different types of molecules.

Since soap is like a magnet for both fat and water, this means that when you add soap into milk these different types of molecules are going to be attracted to the soap. This movement of molecules is what you see in the experiment. Initially the movement you observe is of the separate fat and water molecules being attracted to the soap molecules, and then the whole soap/fat/water molecule as a whole goes flying around the plate.

Without food coloring, we wouldn’t be able to see this movement. By adding in some color, we can see how the molecules in the milk move around, causing tiny little currents for the food coloring to follow.

When all of the fat has been bonded by the soap then the reaction will stop and your experiment is complete. This is why milk with higher fat content will react for longer than skim milk, because it has more fat available to be reacted with.

Why is this important?

Knowing how soap works explains why it’s important to wash our hands to prevent the spread of diseases.

Bacteria are organisms, some of which (not all) can cause diseases.

The cell membrane of the bacteria (which is kind of like the skin of the cell) is made up of fats (otherwise known as a phospholipid bilayer). When we rub soap over our hands it bonds to the fat in the bacterias cell membrane (just like it bonded to the fat in the milk experiment).

Then when we place our hands under running water, the other part of the soap bonds with the flowing water. Since the water is flowing, it takes the bacteria it has already bonded to with it down the drain.

Turning it into an Experiment

The easiest way to turn this chemical reaction into an actual experiment is to try milks with different ratios of fat. You can try the same experiment with different types of milk (or water) and then time how long it takes for the reaction to slow down or stop.

Different types of liquids to try include:

• Water (0% fat)
• Skim or low fat milk (0.5 – 1% fat)
• Whole / high fat milk (3.25% fat)
• Whipping cream (30% fat)

This is a wonderful way to teach children about the scientific method. You can explain the basic principles of this easy science experiment and then get them to write down a hypothesis before timing how long the food colouring spreads.

You can also download and print the following recording sheet to use at home or in your classroom. Just click the large blue button below to get your copy.

Are you going to try the Magic Milk Experiment with your kids? Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.

Magic milk is a fun science activity for kids.

Use it to show children how soap works and why washing your hands is important.

Or just use it as a fun activity to get kids excited about learning. No matter which way you go, your kids will love it.

• Pour a glass of milk into a small plate
• Add drops of food coloring to the milk
• Place a drop of dish soap in the middle of the plate (you can also use a q-tip dipped in soap to do this step).
• Watch the reaction. The colors will now spread and mix all by themselves.

The higher the fat content the milk has, the longer the reaction will take to stop.

If you want to turn this into a proper experiment, where kids have to make thier own hypothesis and record their results, try milks with different fat contents as see what happens.

More Play Based Learning for Kids

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Magic Milk Science Experiment

Krystal DeVille

September 24, 2023

Looking for a quick STEM activity that you can do in 20 minutes or less?

This is your answer! You likely already have everything you need to do the Magic Milk science experiment at home right now . Both the prep & cleanup for this experiment is simple.

But being “simple” doesn’t mean it isn’t fun! This awesome experiment is sure to amaze! I was honestly surprised by how well it worked. The results were actually amazing! But first, let’s go over everything you need.

If you’d like more STEM activity ideas, make sure to grab my FREE eBook on 25 STEM activities here .

Table of Contents

• 2 % or Whole Milk ( no skim milk!)
• Food Coloring
• Cotton Swap

How to do the Magic Milk Science Experiment

When I say this is an easy one to do on a whim, I mean it! All you need to do is follow these 4 simple steps.

Step 1: Pour Milk into a Shallow Dish

Pour the milk into a small bowl. Remember, it has to be 2% or whole milk. Skim milk won’t. However, a great way to test hypotheses would be to compare the effects on milk with different fat contents.

Step 2: Add 4-5 Drops of Food Coloring

Add a few drops of the food coloring to the milk.

Below we’ll learn how the science experiment works. The food coloring simply allows us to see the effect adding the dish soap to the milk has. The food coloring itself isn’t part of the reaction.

Step 3: Dip Cotton Swap in Dish Soap

Soak the end of your cotton swap with any kind of dish soap.

Step 4: Touch Soapy Cotton Swap to Milk

Be prepared to be amazed!

As soon as you touch the soap to the milk, you’ll see the different colored milk shoot apart.

The reaction is quick, so make sure everyone is watching!

Record what you saw happened. For extra testing, see how the effects are different depending on the type of milk you use: whole, 2% and skim.

How the Magic Milk Science Experiment Works

The secret to the dancing motion of the food coloring is all in the dish soap.

Milk is mostly made up of water, but it also contains vitamins, minerals, and fat. The fat in milk (like all fats) is an example of a nonpolar molecule, which means it does not dissolve in water.

When the soap is added to the milk, the molecules dance around to try to connect to the fat molecules in the milk.

In simplest terms, the soap causes the fat in the milk to separate from the water, which is why this won’t work with skim milk.

So why the food coloring? Without the food coloring, we wouldn’t be able to see how the milk fat molecules rapidly move around once the soap is added. Plus, its an awesome firework effect!

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Magic Milk Science Experiment

The Magic Milk experiment is a quick and easy experiment that is sure to wow your child.

The Magic Milk experiment shows how dish soap separates the fat and water molecules within milk using food coloring as the visual component. Milk is comprised of fats, water, and other substances. By adding dish soap, we affect the surface tension of the milk with “water-loving” and “water-hating” parts, which separates the fats and water. The food coloring shows this reaction!

This reaction could be more difficult to explain to a younger child, but I have some ideas for you below that could make it make sense.

How to make the Magic Milk experiment

Supplies you will need.

For the Magic Milk experiment, you’ll need:

• A shallow bowl
• 1 smaller bowl (for dish soap)
• Food coloring
• Whole milk (important!)

Before you start

It is important to use whole milk for this experiment because it has the highest fat. Since the Magic Milk experiment is all about how the dish soap separates water and fats in milk, you will want to use the highest fat milk possible.

Instructions

Here is how to do the Magic Milk experiment:

Step 1: Add whole milk to a shallow bowl

I used a pasta bowl for the milk, to give an idea of how shallow the bowl is here.

You do not have to add much; we added enough to cover the bottom of the bowl and that is plenty for the experiment.

Get your child involved : if you are confident in their pouring skills, let them pour the milk into the bowl. Just know that it could get messy quickly!

Step 2: Add dish soap to a smaller bowl

A small amount of dish soap is enough here. We only need enough to dip a Q-Tip into the dish soap and saturate the cotton portion of the Q-Tip.

Step 3: Add food coloring to bowl with milk

Get creative! We added a drop or two in several spots around the bowl. See what fun color patterns you can make and how that affects the outcome. You can’t go wrong here.

Get your child involved : I let my toddler add drops wherever she wanted around the bowl. I only had to ensure she knew how to get just one or two drops out the first couple of times and she was off!

Step 4: Dip Q-Tip in dish soap and touch colors to make the milk react

Saturate your Q-Tip with the dish soap and simply touch the colors with your Q-Tip (no need to dunk your Q-Tip).

Get your child involved: if you let your child do anything during this experiment, let them do this part! My toddler LOVED seeing the reaction as she touched each color.

Step 5: Experiment!

One fun experiment we did was to hold the Q-Tip in one spot on the milk for an extended period of time.

The result was SO COOL. You could see the colors flowing away from your Q-Tip, but it looked like they were even bubbling up from the bottom of the bowl to flow away.

Check out the entire video below to really see this part of the reaction.

The science behind the Magic Milk science experiment

The Magic Milk experiment is a fun and colorful experiment to learn about chemistry!

For the parent

Milk is made up of fat, protein, water, vitamins, and minerals.

Dish soap is a surfactant, which affects our milk’s surface tension with hydrophilic (attracted to water) and hydrophobic (repels water) portions.

When soap is added to the milk, the hydrophilic portion connects to the water molecules in the milk and the hydrophobic attaches to the fat molecules.

During this reaction, the food coloring is bumped around, causing the reaction you see in the experiment.

For the child

The milk you drink is made up of lots of things, including vitamins, water, and fat.

When we add dish soap to our milk with a Q-Tip, we are separating those fats and water inside the milk. It is happening at such a small level that there’s no way we could see it, so we have to add food coloring to show it happening.

Touching a Q-Tip with dish soap on it to the milk separates the fats and water really quickly, and we see that in how quickly the colors move away from our Q-Tip!

More chemistry experiments to try out with your child

• Fizzing lemons experiment – using lemons and baking soda to make a lemon volcano
• Homemade lava lamp – vinegar and baking soda bubble around in a container of oil
• Fizzing paint experiment – another vinegar and baking soda reaction, but with an artistic twist!

FAQ about the Magic Milk Experiment

Why do i have to use whole milk in this experiment.

Whole milk has the highest fat content, and in turn gives the best reaction.

Here’s a great explanation of why a higher fat milk is better:

As the soap molecules race around to join up with the fat molecules, the fat molecules bend, roll, twist and contort in all directions. 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 in that big color dance. Add another drop of soap to start the process again. https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/milk-color-explosion/

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Magic Milk Science Experiment

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This magic milk science experiment is a classic for kids of all ages. Using common, nontoxic kitchen supplies, the kids will create vibrant art while learning about the science behind the swirling colors that truly makes this experiment magical.

Get Ready for the Magic Milk Science Experiment:

This science experiment only requires a few common kitchen supplies:

• Milk (we used whole milk)
• Casserole dish, baking pan, or plate
• Food coloring
• Liquid dish soap (make sure it is NOT antibacterial)
• Magic Milk Printable

Print out a couple of copies of the free printable worksheet available below so the kids could keep track of their results.

Once we gathered our supplies, we sat at the kitchen table to do our science experiment. Pour a thin layer of milk into the dish and then the kids chose a few colors they wanted to use.

The kids then squeezed a couple of drops of food coloring into the milk in their dish .

Then, carefully, they dripped one drop of dish soap right into the middle of the colored milk .

Oh my, were there squeals of delight and surprise as they watched the colors scatter like fireworks!

The milk continued to move and mix and scatter the colors as if by magic. It continued for several seconds before coming to rest.

The kids tried to drip more dish soap into the milk, but guess what? Nothing happened the second time around. Why not?

The Science Behind Magic Milk

There are a couple of things going on that explain what is happening behind the magic of magic milk.

First, all liquids have this effect called surface tension . It basically means that the molecules on the surface of the liquid bead together in a little dome because of their molecular bonds. If you have ever filled a cup of water past the rim of the glass you may have noticed how the water forms a dome on top and somehow stays suspended a little above the rim. This is because of surface tension.

In this magic milk experiment the milk and food coloring form a little dome .

However, when dish soap is poured over the surface, the surface tension is broken because the dish soap breaks those bonds . This causes the colored milk to spread out like a flood over the surface of the milk.

The second effect at work here has to do with the interaction between the fat molecules in the milk and the soap molecules .

Soap is made up of two sides:

• one side loves water (it is hydrophilic)
• the other side loves fat and oil (it is hydrophobic).

Soap works by grabbing oils by its hydrophobic side and bonding with water by its hydrophilic side. When the soap is washed away with water, it takes the oils and fats along with it.

When dish soap is dropped into milk, there is a swirl of activity of soap molecules finding and bonding with fat molecules in the milk. With millions of molecules swirling around looking for mates, the colors in the milk get all mixed up! It looks like the milk is erupting for several seconds.

You may notice if you try this magic milk experiment once with whole milk and once with skim that the whole milk swirls for much longer because of the higher fat content in the milk .

If the kids want to repeat this artistic science experiment (they will) be sure to wash the dish out well with warm water and then pour in fresh milk to do it again. Once the milk is contaminated with soap it loses its “magic”.

More Science Activities and Ideas

Walking Water Science for Kids

Science Notebook

Oil and Water Science Activity

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Do you want  science planned  for the  ENTIRE CALENDAR YEAR !? This  Endless Science Mega Bundle  will  save you so much time  and  keep your students engaged  and  excited about learning . This amazing resource contains  53 science topics  including  life science ,  physical science ,  earth science , and  animal studies .

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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 .

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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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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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Color Explosion Magic Milk Experiment and Science Fair Project

Want an extremely fun, easy, inexpensive experiment with serious WOW factor? You’ve got it with this Color Explosion Magic Milk Experiment that let’s kids explore a fireworks explosion of rainbow colours that appear to move and change like magic! It’s not magic though, it’s science. This easy science experiment is a must do for all ages. Today we have taken things even deeper by developing an entire Science Fair Project around Magic Milk.

Magic Milk Science Experiment

What you will discover in this article!

Disclaimer: This article may contain commission or affiliate links. As an Amazon Influencer I earn from qualifying purchases. Not seeing our videos? Turn off any adblockers to ensure our video feed can be seen. Or visit our YouTube channel to see if the video has been uploaded there. We are slowly uploading our archives. Thanks!

With all the crazy experiments we have done around here, from launching baking soda and vinegar rockets, to building light up circuit bugs, to magic colour changing oobleck, sometimes it’s the simple experiments that surprise us the most! This Magic Milk experiment did exactly that.

With a very simple set up, and items from the kitchen, we ended up spending an entire afternoon experimenting, testing and learning. All with lots of mesmerized faces, quietly watching in awe what was happening in front of them.

Here’s the thing with Magic Milk experiments, they are extremely calming and relaxing to watch. It’s like a scientific calm down dish, instead of a calm down bottle. If you need an activity to keep the kids calmly entertained as they learn, this is it!

EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENT – MAGIC MILK

The quick and easy way to do Magic Milk is to take your milk, whatever you have in your fridge should work (as we proved with our science fair project below), then you just need a pie plate or shallow dish, dish soap and food coloring.

Fill the dish with milk

Pour milk into the dish, we made ours about 2cm deep. We used a variety of milks in our science fair project below. You should be able to use whatever you have in the fridge. Let it settle for a moment, this will take more time the higher the fat content.

Add drops of food coloring

Scatter some drops of food coloring in the milk.

Add dish soap

Use a Q-tip or pipette to add a drop of dish soap to the center of the plate and watch what happens!

MAGIC MILK SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT

The joy of having kids that have been raised to be creative, imaginative thinkers, who embrace the Scientific Method, is that they have so many amazing questions. Very quickly our Magic Milk Experiment became a Magic Milk Science Fair Project.

HOW DOES THE FAT CONTENT OF THE MILK AFFECT THE MAGIC MILK EXPERIMENT RESULTS?

That was the big question for our science fair project. We wanted to know if the fireworks of colors created by the dish soap in milk would change at all based on the type of milk or cream we used. Specifically we look at fat content.

RESEARCH INTO MAGIC MILK

Our research actually led us to some conflicting and confusing information about what exactly was happening during the Magic Milk experiment. Finally we found some concrete answers that made sense, especially once we did our experiments. Turns out the whole things is based on surface tension and the polarity of molecules. More on the science in a moment!

Resources on Magic Milk include Scientific American and American Chemical Society .

HYPOTHESIS: Higher Fat Content EQUALS SLOWER COLOR MOVEMENT

After doing our research, I pulled out the milks we had available. We were going to test 2% fat (milk), 18% fat (coffee cream) and 33% fat (whipping cream). I asked the kids to come up with their predictions and best educated guesses for what might happen. Their hypothesis was that the higher the milk fat content, the slower the colors would move through the milk.

HOW TO DO THE MAGIC MILK EXPERIMENT

Next we set up our experiments. Our constant variables were our Dawn dish soap applied in the middle of the plate with a Q-tip, milk 2 cm deep in a pie dish so the amount of milk was consistent, a consistent number of food coloring drops scattered in a similar pattern each time.

Our independent variable, the one thing we changed each time, was the fat content of our milk. We used 2%, 18% and 33%.

For our dependent variable we studied how the colors exploded and moved after the dish soap was added. We watched for changes in how fast colors exploded across the milk and if there were different patterns in how the colors moved. We also timed how long the colors continued to move.

Check out our Magic Milk Color Explosion Video!

Results of magic milk science fair experiment.

Our results were striking! The 2% milk rapidly exploded with colors that flew around the plate. In a short amount of time the colors started blending together and the dish soap, which stays as a little bubble, started floating around pushing reactions around the plate. The colors moved and blended about, constantly moving and changing. There was a lot of action with the rainbow of colors.

The 18% moved more slowly, the colors tended to stay together for a very long time without mixing. It also took a lot longer for the dish soap bubble to start moving around the plate.

Once it did start moving, slowly, it did start forcing more mixing of the colors. We found the colors pushed to the edges of the plate in a multi-colored ring.

This color blocking is very similar to what we saw in the Skittles Science Experiment . This made us wonder about the possibility of water stratification and concentration gradient playing a role in our results as well.

33% gave us the most astonishing and amazing results. The colors spread in fractals. Branching out in short little bursts. Like leafless branches, that never mixed into the milk. The soap bubble did not move, staying anchored in the middle of the plate where we had placed it. Very minimal mixing of the colors occurred, only happening when two fractals accidentally crossed paths.

With all three we stopped our stop watch at 15 minutes as the reactions and movement were still ongoing and, although they had slowed, they didn’t seem to be ending any time soon.

I mentioned earlier that when we were doing our research we came across from conflicting and even confusing information on the possible science behind magic milk. Our experiment allowed us to study how the fat content affected the movement of colours, allowing us to draw solid conclusions, informed by our research, into what exactly is happening.

Our hypothesis was correct, but our results lead to even more fascinating findings!

Conclusion – The Science Behind Magic Milk and Fat Content

With our Magic Milk Science Fair Project we were able to study the effect fat content had on the movement of colour when dish soap is added. Our results tell us that fat content plays a large role, but the reason may be surprising.

Liquids have something called surface tension. Water, milk, and cream are made up of molecules that have positive and negative charges on their surface. Just like magnets these charges allow them to attract and repel other molecules. When milk or cream is by itself, it’s molecules are surrounded by the same type of molecules, creating a nicely balanced push and pull. The exception is the top which is exposed to air which pushes down on the liquid, creating surface tension on the top of the liquid.

There is a substance that affects a liquid’s surface tension, it’s called a surfactant. Dish soap is mostly comprised of surfactants. It has a hydrophilic part that is attracted to the water and a hydrophobic part that wants to interact with the fat molecules and repels water.

It’s all about surface tension

The pushing and pulling of the fat and water molecules in the milk separates them, resulting in a decrease of the surface tension.

We see a big difference between our various fat content milks due to the different ratios of fat to water in the liquids. The higher fat content milk is much thicker. We can see this before adding the dish soap if we just look at the food colouring drops. The food colouring spreads significantly in 2%, spreads a little in 18% and doesn’t move at all in 33%.

This means, in our 33% milk, there is less water for the hydrophilic part to attract, and way too much fat for the hydrophobic part to ineract with. The surfactant (dish soap), has very limited effect on the surface tension, which remains quite a viscous, stable liquid. This leads to the fractal style, very limited spread of colour we see in the high fat milk.

In the 2% milk we have lots of water and some fat, allowing the surface tension to be affected easily. This results in a dramatic dance of color.

FURTHER STUDIES IN MAGIC MILK

Already the kids have identified more testing we can do in the future. This includes testing different surfactants. They wonder how shampoo or soaps may affect our results. They also wondered if there would be a difference if we used a oil or gel color instead of liquid food coloring (which is mostly water).

The kids also want to test lower percentage milks like skim and 1%, plus other types of milk like soy, coconut, goat milk, etc. to see how the different types of milk react.

MORE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT IDEAS

Magic Milk Experiment

Explore the magical and explosive colourful experiment that involves a reaction between milk and dish soap.

• 1/2 – 1 cup milk experiment with different percentage fat milks and creams to see how it affects the results
• 1 tsp dish soap
• bottles food colouring in a variety of colours

Instructions

Pour milk into the shallow dish until it is about 1 to 2 cm deep. The amount of milk required will vary based on the size of your dish.

Add drops of food colouring to the milk.

Take the Q-Tip and dip it into the dish soap, then place the q-tip into the middle of the prepared milk and watch the reaction. You can remove the q-tip after a few seconds and the reaction will continue. The pattern of the reaction and duration will vary based on the fat content of your milk or cream. Experiment with a variety to see how your results change.

5 Days of Smart STEM Ideas for Kids

Get started in STEM with easy, engaging activities.

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.

• For Teachers

• Everyday Activities
• Experiments

What makes food coloring dance in milk?

• A Little Messy

When food coloring and soap are added to whole milk, strange things happen.

Will the same thing happen with kinds of milk that have different fat contents?

Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zCzIKej2rXc

You Will Need

Different varieties of cow’s milk - Whole Milk, 2% Milk, 1% Milk, Skim Milk, Half and Half, heavy whipping cream

Pie plate, Baking Dish, paper plate or other containers with a flat bottom and raised sides

Toothpicks or Cotton Swabs

Food Coloring

Materials & Directions PDF

Do not drink the milk once it is used for this activity! Soapy milk is not delicious or good for you.

It is helpful to have multiple plates with milk ready to go. For example, start with a 2% milk plate and have a whole milk plate prepared and nearby to do next.

When you first do the experiment, try to keep the toothpick or cotton swab as still as possible to see the full effects. You can move it around later and see what changes!

• Pour some milk into the bottom of your container. You do not need a lot of milk, just enough to cover the bottom, plus a little extra.
• Drop different food coloring colors into the milk, as much or as little as you want.

• Pour dish soap into your small bowl. Dip your toothpick or cotton swab into the dish soap to coat it. Bring it over to the milk dish, and put the tip into the milk. Try to hold the toothpick or cotton swab still. You can move it later. Observe and discuss what happens.
• Try the experiment again using different types of milk. Observe and discuss what happens!

Experiment Extensions

• Once you try the experiment with whole milk, try it with another kind of milk or other liquids. Observe and talk about what happens! Heavy cream has the highest fat content, but because it is so thick the reaction is slow!
• You needed to keep the toothpick or cotton swab very still for the initial part of the experiment. Now try moving it around and see what happens!

Discovery Questions

Beginning the experiment, during the experiment, after the experiment, how it works.

You are observing chemistry in action! There is a reaction happening between the soap and the milk fat. Milk is made up of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats. Soap is really good at breaking down fats - think about how it helps get cooking grease off of dishes!

When soap is introduced to milk, the soap molecules chase down the fat molecules and surround them, forming little balls called micelles.

This movement breaks the surface tension of the milk and causes movement, which mixes the colors.

The higher the fat content of the milk, the more fat molecules the soap have to find. You should see more movement in higher fat versions of milk.