Magic Milk

Who knew that such amazing artwork could be created by just adding milk? This project is both beautiful and easy — only requiring a tupperware container lid, milk, food coloring, dish soap, and "magic" toothpicks. Once your food coloring has been dropped into the milk, simply dip the toothpick into a dish with dish soap and have your child add it to the colorful milk concoction. The soap disrupts the surface tension of the milk and causes the colors to radiate away, creating a gorgeous Milky Way-esque masterpiece. Overall, this is one afternoon art activity that's sure to become a new family favorite!

These magic milk colors have been on my to-do list for a long time. I’m sure you can tell by the photo above, this project is the perfect mix of art, science, and fun.

It’s a good bet you already have everything you need for this one in your kitchen – milk, food coloring, dish soap, and a toothpick. Start off by pouring your milk into a small dish with a lip. I found Tupperware lids worked really well. Also, I experimented with a few types of milk (with a newborn baby and a toddler in the house we have non-fat, 2%, and whole on hand at all times) and whole milk definitely worked the best.

After the milk is poured, add a few drops of various colors of food coloring all around your dish. Now comes the “magic” toothpick. Dip said toothpick in a little dish soap and ask your kiddo to put it in the food coloring. The reaction of the soap disrupting the surface tension of the milk causes the colors to radiate away from the toothpick. The more you dip, the more the colors swirl and mix. Trust me when I tell you, the results are pretty spectacular.

Eventually, your milk will start to look like this as the colors begin to muddle together. Which means it’s time for a fresh dish. We did this activity three times total and this blue/green/yellow version was my favorite. Once the color-mixing excitement was over, we did what we ultimately end up doing with a lot of art projects and turned it into painting time. A few paper towels on top of a cookie sheet is our go-to canvas.