It's about 2 kittens who mix buckets and buckets of colors and can create all the colors in the world. The obvious activity would be to do some color mixing, but this is kind of a natural thing that kids already do on their own. I wanted to mix some science into the equation. This is a quick activity and takes materials that you likely already have on hand.
Extension activity: Milk Color Mixing
 |
| The Last Page of Color Kittens |
 |
| Our Version of Color Mixing |
What You'll Need:
- A container
- Whole milk (yes, it has to be whole because of the fat content. 1/2 + 1/2 or cream would also work)
- Various Food Coloring
- Regular old dish soap (not the foaming kind)
Procedure:
- Pour a goodly amount (like my measurements?) of whole milk into your chosen container. Make sure it covers the bottom and has about 1" to let the colors move.
- Place drops of food coloring all over the container. (See picture at right)
- Have child notice that the colors stay in their spot and don't run together.
- Place a single drop of dish soap in the middle of the container.
- Watch as the colors mix and dance all around the container! Also, I would think this is obvious, but don't drink the milk after you put soap in it...
What's Going On?
When you drop the soap into the bowl of milk, the surface tension (the force that was keeping the colors in one spot) decreases. Dish soap is a surfactant that starts to break down the fat inside the milk and creates the reaction that you get to witness!
No comments:
Post a Comment