This rainbow milk science experiment is popular around the web. And for good reason.
Also called milky fireworks, erupting colors, magic milk, tie-dyed milk– this is very possibly both the easiest and most beautiful science experiment out there.
It is so super awesome and kids LOVE it!
Am I going a little over the top? I guess adults love it, too.
We did the milky fireworks on top of our simple DIY light table (simply a clear plastic storage bin from Target with a string of white Christmas 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!
Ready for the how-to and photos of the beautiful process?
I even embedded a couple of my instagram videos of the magic milk in action, since photos don’t do it justice.
Rainbow Milk Science Experiment
MATERIALS
- Whole milk
- Shallow dish
- Food coloring (or liquid watercolors
with droppers) - Liquid dish soap
- Q-tips
INSTRUCTIONS
1. 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.
As you can see, we did this science experiment over our light table this time around, so we used glass baking dishes. All the better to let the light shine through, my dear.
2. Squeeze drops of food coloring on milk
Begin by squeezing droplets of the food coloring on the surface of the milk. One color or several colors.
3. Dip Q-tip in soap, then milk
Next, dip a Q-tip 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!
Here are a couple of brief videos I took of the beautiful erupting colors in motion. I shared both Instagram when we did this experiment.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 as often as you like until you end up with muddy milk.
If you’d like to keep going (my kids always do), discard the muddy milk then add another thin layer of milk and begin again.
So tell me… Have you tried this rainbow milk science experiment with your kids yet?
If not, you MUST do it asap!
If you have, you must do it again! Preferably asap.
Just ’cause.
It’s that good.
MORE MILKY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
- Color changing milk with an explanation of the science behind it (on Steve Spangler Science)
- Combine Science and Art to Make Marbled Milk Paper (on Babble Dabble Do)
- Make it glow! The glowing magic milk experiment (on Learn ~ Play ~ Imagine)
- Use the milk experiment as a color mixing lesson (on Hands on As We Grow)
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