Ask Ollie
Rainbow Milk Swirl
Here's one to try together!
Touch the milk and watch colors run away from your swab.
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- Once soap and color are in, the milk is not for drinking.
- Check for milk allergies before you start.
What you need
- Whole milk, enough to cover the plate
- Plate with a rim
- Food coloring
- Dish soap, a few drops
- Cotton swabs
- Small dish, 1, or a bottle cap
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Pour a thin layer of milk on a plate with a rim. Whole milk works best because of the fat.
- Set the plate down gently and wait for the milk to stop moving.
- Drop four colors close together in the middle of the milk.
- Look closely. Are the colors moving yet? Ask: Do the colors mix on their own?
- Dip a cotton swab in dish soap.
- Touch the swab to the middle of the colors and hold it still. Ask: What do you think will happen?
- Try touching different spots.
- Add new drops of color near the edge and touch between them.
- Name your swirl painting and show it to everyone! Ask: Does your swirl look like a flower, a storm or a galaxy?
Play it again
- Speed swirl: who can make the colors reach the edge of the plate first?
- Shape challenge: try to make the colors form a ring, a star or a smiley face.
- Milk test: try skim milk next time. Does less fat mean less swirl?
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