This magic milk science experiment is awesome. Super simple to try with materials you already have, and it has amazing results!
Updated June 2025
This is very possibly both the easiest and most beautiful science experiment out there.
It’s also called milky fireworks, erupting colors, magic milk, and tie-dyed milk. But whatever the name, the results are awesome, and kids LOVE it!
We love to do milky fireworks on top of our simple DIY light table (a clear plastic storage bin with a string of white lights inside) which added an extra level of beauty to the experiment.
It was lovely to see the light shining through the milk, the colors, and the magic!
Magic Milk Science Experiment
MATERIALS
- Whole milk
- Shallow dish
- Food coloring (or liquid watercolors
with droppers)
- Liquid dish soap
- Cotton swabs
- Sturdy paper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pour milk in dish
Assemble food coloring, a small bowl of liquid dish soap, and some Q-tips. Then pour a thin layer of the whole milk in a shallow dish.
- Squeeze drops of food coloring on milk
Begin by squeezing droplets of the food coloring on the surface of the milk. You can do one color or several colors.
- Dip cotton swab in soap, then milk
Next, dip a cotton swab in the dish soap and then in the milk, preferably in the center of a spot of food coloring.
Watch the colors explode all over as the detergent interacts with the fat molecules in the whole milk! - Repeat!
Repeat steps 2 and 3 as often as you like until you end up with muddy milk.
Then discard the muddy milk then add another thin layer of milk and begin again.
If you’d like, you can gently press a sheet of sturdy paper onto the milky fireworks to create a unique print!
Have you tried this magic milk science experiment with your kids yet?
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