Color-Swirling Milk Experiment

color swirls into bowl of milk on picnic table

Take playing with your food to the next level with this fun activity! Create beautiful color swirls in milk with just two ingredients - soap and food coloring. Your child will love getting to see the experiment come to life and being able to make the magic happen themselves.

What you’ll need:

  • Milk (whole or 2%)
  • Dish soap
  • Food coloring (use multiple colors!)
  • Cotton swab (such as a Q-tip)
  • Dish or bowl for milk (make sure sides are over an inch tall) 

Instructions: 

  1. Pour one inch of milk into dish or bowl.
  2. Drop food coloring into milk, making sure to spread the drops out and vary colors.
  3. Dip cotton swab into dish soap.
  4. Run cotton swab along the top of the milk and food coloring, swirling it around the dish. Because dish soap and milk do not mix, the dish soap glides along the top of the milk, mixing the food coloring in a psychedelic way – just like magic! 

Inspired by Crafty Morning’s Magic Milk Science Experiment

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