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This magic milk science project is always a favorite and is so easy to change up with seasons, holidays, and special days! Valentine’s Day Magic Milk is a simple twist on a classic science experiment the kids always enjoy! Explore Valentines Day science with a Valentine’s Magic Milk science experiment and enjoy an explosion of color!

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Explore Science For Valentine’s Day

Simple science can be explored all year round with fun themes to make it new and engaging each time! Even something as simple as adding a cookie cutter creates a sense of excitement for young kids. Valentine science activities are perfect for a February indoor activity!

No two magic milk science activities will ever be the same! It’s an explosion of color in your dish. Think fireworks and cool chemistry!

Kids are curious creatures and sharing fun and simple science activities at home or in the classroom is just another way to spark the fun in learning. We prefer to keep our science playful too.

Find out how to set up this simple Valentine’s Day science experiment below.

Valentines Magic Milk Experiment

If you want to make this truly a science experiment, you need to change one variable. What variable could you change? The type of milk? Explore other milk varieties, including reduced-fat milk, heavy cream, and even alternative milk! Learn more about choosing variables.

Supplies:

  • Full Fat Milk
  • Blue Food Coloring
  • Dish Soap
  • Cotton Swabs
  • Heart Cookie Cutter

Instructions:

STEP 1. Start by pouring your milk into a baking dish or flat bottom surface. You don’t need a lot of milk to cover the bottom and then some.

Your kids will probably want to try this one over and over again!

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STEP 2. Next, you want to fill the top of the milk with drops of color! Use traditional Valentine’s Day theme colors or a mix of your favorite ones. Add a cookie cutter too!

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STEP 3. You can pour a bit of dish soap into a small bowl. Coat your cotton swab tip to the dish soap. Then bring it over to your milk dish and gently touch the swab to the surface of the milk! What happens?

Make sure to read about the science behind it below to learn more about this cool chemical reaction between the milk and the soap.

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Remember, it will be a bit different each time you try magic milk. It’s a fun fireworks theme science activity for the 4th of July or New Year’s! Make a rainbow for St Patrick’s day or a pastel surprise for Easter. We made one for Christmas too!

If you have extra milk… try making plastic out of milk! 

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The Science of Color Changing Milk

This magic milk science project gets it’s burst of color from chemistry…

Milk contains water, fats, proteins, and other substances. The fat molecules in the milk are key to the experiment.

The surface of the milk has a property called surface tension, which is like an invisible layer that holds the molecules together. It keeps the milk from overflowing when poured into a glass. Learn more about surface tension here.

When you touch the soapy cotton swab to the surface of the milk, the soap molecules start to interact with the fat molecules in the milk.

Soap molecules have a hydrophilic (water-attracting) end and a hydrophobic (water-repelling) end. The hydrophobic end of the soap molecule tries to push away from the water in the milk. This disrupts the surface tension of the milk.

As the soap molecules interact with the fat molecules, they surround the fat globules in the milk. The soap molecules pull the fat molecules away from the surface of the milk.

The soap molecules effectively create an emulsion by surrounding the fat globules. An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible liquids, like oil and water. In this case, the fat in the milk is emulsified by the soap.

As the soap disrupts the surface tension, the fat molecules in the milk move around. This movement is visible as the swirling and mixing of colors.

The water-based food coloring moves along with the fat molecules. As a result, you see vibrant, dynamic patterns forming in the milk.

All the fat molecules have been found when there is no more movement. Are there any more hiding? Try another q-tip dipped in soap! 

What Is Chemistry?

Let’s keep it basic for our younger or junior scientists! Chemistry is all about the way different materials are put together, and how they are made up including atoms and molecules. It’s also how these materials act under different conditions. Chemistry is often a base for physics so you will see overlap!

What might you experiment with in chemistry? Classically we think of a mad scientist and lots of bubbling beakers, and yes there is a reaction between bases and acids to enjoy! Also, chemistry involves matter, changes, solutions, and the list goes on and on.

We will be exploring simple chemistry you can do at home or in the classroom that isn’t too crazy, but is still lots of fun for kids! You can check out some more chemistry activities here. Check out the video! You can never recreate the same look twice.

Helpful Science Resources To Get You Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

More Fun Valentine’s Day Science Experiments

You can find all our Valentine’s Day science experiments here, including…

Printable Valentine STEM Project Pack

Countdown to Valentine’s Day with science and STEM! Pack includes complete instructions, templates, and images for 20+ activities. Bonus: printable science Valentine’s Day cards!