ISLAND SWIRL MILK EXPERIMENT

Create a vibrant bloom of swirling colors with this fun experiment for curious kiddos.

ISLAND SWIRL MILK EXPERIMENT

SUPPLIES

Pie dish or shallow bowl
TruMoo® Moana Strawberry Banana Lowfat Milk
McCormick® food coloring*
Dawn® Ultra dish soap
Cotton swabs

HOW TO

Recruit an adult to help you. Pour milk in the pie dish or shallow bowl. Place 3 drops of food coloring on the surface of the milk. Dip a cotton swab into dish soap. Place the cotton swab in the food coloring and watch the color spread into beautiful blooms.

Why it works: Milk has a high surface tension which supports the food coloring molecules, keeping the dye centralized. Soap is a surfactant, which means it reduces the surface tension of a liquid. The soap interacts with the fat and protein molecules in the milk, causing them to move around. This bumps and shoves the food coloring molecules.

*DO NOT use gel food coloring or plant-based food coloring made with natural vegetable juices and spices. Use food coloring made with artificial ingredients.

Do not consume milk that has been contaminated with dish soap.

You are leaving a DFA website for a third party website.