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Milk Dye Experiment Art
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How to Make Magic Milk Art

Watch bold colours burst and swirl in this fun science-meets-art activity! Play with washable markers, dish soap, and milk and have fun watching this colourful science experiment unfold. You can also capture the magic and colours of food colouring on paper for a truly eye-catching result.
Active Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Yield: 1 magic milk art project
Author: Debbie Chapman
Cost: $2

Equipment

Materials

Instructions

Step 1: Find what you need

  • Gather your supplies and materials.
    Magic Milk Art Project Supplies

Step 2: Cut pieces of paper towel

  • To make your magic milk art you'll need a piece of paper towel. Use a double layer, or place it on something that will protect your working surface from the markers later.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • Trace a small bowl, or another round object, onto the paper towel.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • Cut the circles from the paper towel.
    The circle shape is optional -- you can also just cut your paper towel into squares, but we like the look of the circle.
    Magic Milk Art Project

Step 3: Draw on the paper towel circles

  • Use washable markers to draw lines or dots of colour onto the paper towel circle.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • You can create fun patterns and get creative. Make a rainbow, or try to use colours that will blend well together -- ones that are next to each other on the colour wheel.
    Magic Milk Art Project

Step 4: Perform the magic milk experiment

  • Grab a glass pie plate or other shallow dish. Add just enough milk to cover the bottom.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • Add a dot of clear dish soap to the center of the paper towel.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • Set the paper towel into the center of the dish.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • Then watch the magic happen! The colours from the paper towel will swirl outwards.
    Magic Milk Art Project

Step 5: Use food colouring for the experiment

  • You can also add food colouring onto your paper towel round.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • Add the dish soap, set it in some fresh milk, and watch the colours spread! You can see the food colour has a stronger dye than the washable markers.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • To create beautiful marbled swirls, use a popsicle stick to move the paper towel slowly through the milk.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • With this stronger dye you can place a piece of watercolour paper onto the milk to transfer the colour. Let it sit for 5 to 10 seconds, making sure all parts of the paper touch the milk.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • Lift up and flip over to see the colourful pattern! Set the paper on a parchment lined tray to dry.
    Magic Milk Art Project
  • Your magic milk art project is complete!
    Magic Milk Art Project

Video

Notes

Looking for more colourful experiments? Here's a few of our favourites:
Colour Changing Milk Experiment
Shaving Cream Rain Clouds
Fireworks in a Vase