Science Fun for a Rainy Day

Science fun with things you already have on hand!

One of the great things about being a Crunchy parent is that being Crunchy also means being hands on. Of course there are hands one parents of all paths but it seems to me by observation that us Crunchy parents are more than happy to get down and dirty with our kids to explore and learn!

With this spirit in mind on a rainy day my kids and I picked a science experiment we found on stevespanglerscience.com and went with it.

What you will need:

– Milk 2%

(And a variety of other liquids your children can choose from that have a fat content or not)

– Plates

(or other shallow containers)

– Dish soap (Dawn works well but other brands can too)

– Food coloring

(Gel coloring will work if you first make it a liquid)

– Q-Tips

Directions:

Add a thin layer of milk to the plate. Add a few drops of food coloring to center of the plate. Dip the Q-Tip in dish soap. Hold the Q-Tip in the center of the plate of milk. Watch the effect as almost instantly the food coloring spreads out of the surface of the milk making an often beautiful reaction.

Tips:

Ask your child what they think will happen before you add the dish soap.

Explain that the dish soap has a bipolar nature meaning one side likes water and the other side does not. The side that does not seeks to escape the water by binding to the fat in the milk.

In the same dish if milk already used try another soap dabbed q-tip. Repeat until no reaction is seen. Explain that all the fat has been bonded to so the soap has nothing left to reaction with to escape the water.

Try other liquids! My kids thought to try hazelnut milk and it worked as there is a fat content to nut milk. Try soy milk, skim milk, chicken broth and what ever else your children want to try. Remind them that the fat is what makes the reaction work!

Research the reaction more fully with order children or children who want to further understand this experiment better. I found a simple explanation was more than enough for my younger children.