Milk, Food Coloring, and Dish Soap Experiment

Are you looking for easy kitchen experiments for your kids?
Then give this cool Milk, Food Coloring, and Dish Soap Science Experiment a try.

It is set up within minutes and is so much fun even for toddlers and preschoolers.
Let’s get right into it.

There are affiliate links in this post, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will be compensated if you click through and take action. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

How to Create Your Own Milk, Food Coloring, and Dish Soap Experiment at Home

Did you ever try this easy dish soap milk experiment?

My kids love it and call it the milk magic experiment! It is such an easy setup it is unbelievable for the amount of fun and wonders you will see in your children’s eyes.

Since I found this fun dish soap milk experiment they are asking for more and more food coloring experiments. They simply loved it!

Food Coloring Experiment Materials

But let’s have a look at our magic milk science experiment first. Here is what you will need to fascinate your children:

• plate or bowl
• 2% or whole milk
• food colors
• dishwasher soap
• 1 Q-Tip or cotton ball

Are you interested in more kid’s activities and arts & crafts?
Subscribe to our newsletter now and never miss an update!
Click here

Milk With Food Coloring Experiment Instructions

Follow our easy step-by-step tutorial to get great results:

Step 1: Prepare your Plate

First, fully cover the bottom of your plate with milk. This food coloring trick works best with 2% or whole milk!

Step 2: Add Food Coloring

Then choose different food colors and add 3-4 drops of each color to the milk as shown in the picture below. We used yellow, green, and blue.

Step 3: Prepare your Q-Tip

The secret to our milk, soap, and food coloring experiment is the following: Dip your Q-tip or cotton ball in dish soap till it is fully covered.

Step 4: Milk Painting

Now it is time to let the magic happen and watch your color explosion.

Place your soaked Q-Tip in the center of the milk. You will see how the colors dance magically across the milk surface and create wonderful milk paintings.

Did you know STEM Education has many benefits? Read all about them here.
Your kids also might enjoy our popular Sherbet Experiment, explore this classic Skittle Experiment, or enjoy making a Coke Volcano. I also recommend one of these 15+ Water Experiments for Kids next.

Magic Milk Food Coloring Experiment Explained

After your children did their own kid’s experiment with food coloring, they might have some questions for you.

How does this coloring experiment work?

What happens when you drop the soap?

What is the science behind this fun milk experiment?

So let’s have a look at the magic milk experiment explanation:

First, they will have to know that milk is a mixture of water, fat, vitamins, and minerals.

The magic ingredient to this milk, soap, and food coloring experiment is soap. The soap lets the food coloring dance.

Without soap, the cotton ball wouldn’t do anything else than soak itself full of milk.

Soap incorporates water-loving (hydrophilic) and water-fearing (hydrophobic) ends. Water molecules are polar molecules, which means they can dissolve other polar molecules.

Fat and oil molecules on the other hand are nonpolar molecules that can not dissolve in water!

When you add the soap to your milk food coloring mix, the water-fearing end of the soap molecules breaks up the fat molecules, and the water-loving end of the soap molecule links up with the water molecules.

Therefore the dish soap connects the fat and water. As a result, the molecules of fat can be carried by the water molecules.

Now when the soap connects with the fat, the food coloring gets pushed around everywhere resulting in a color explosion.

When the dish soap is done connecting with the fat our food coloring eruption will slow down and eventually stop.

Take Your Milk Food Coloring Experiment Further

Let’s try around and switch your switch our milk and food coloring experiment up.

Try using water instead of milk. Will it still erupt the color?

What happens when you use 1% milk versus 2% milk or whole milk? Will you see a difference and why?

Let your children and students make their hypotheses and observations. They will have a lot of fun while learning!

---

This is such a fun food coloring experiment! If you want to see the milk, food coloring, and dish soap experiment in action, watch this video!

Now I would like to hear from you!

How did your kids enjoy this fun science experiment with food coloring? Did they enjoy coloring milk?
Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
I’d love to hear from you!

Pin this Milk, Food Coloring, Dish Soap Experiment

Don’t forget to save this easy milk, food coloring, soap experiment on Pinterest for later!
Be sure you are following along with Lil Tigers.