Project Details
Theme
October | Chemistry
Messy Level
3
Suggested Location
Lab
Prep & Classroom Structure
Class Structure
Intro
Show video to class
Summarize
Group students into team of 4
Ingredients should be centered somewhere away from children's hands.
Children should start designing their ghost cutouts (3 ghosts can be 3 turns for the children).
The volunteer will pour milk into pan and discuss the properties of milk.
Each child will have a turn at adding food coloring to the pan.
There should be one dish of soap per group and children will take turns dipping the ghost's tail into it before sailing it off on the milk.
What's Happening?
Milk contains fat molecules, and dish soap interacts with those fats while also reducing the milk's surface tension. That movement creates currents in the milk, which push the rocket and carry the food coloring into swirling patterns.
Materials
Whole milk (won't work with nonfat milk)
Shallow trays
food coloring
cotton swabs
dish soap
Crayons
Sheet of paper with ghost outline
Scissors
Project Instructions
Pour a thin layer of milk into each shallow plate.
Add 3 drops of different food colors near the center without stirring.
Have the children cut out a ghost colored by them
Paint the tail of the ghost with a cotton swab in dish soap.
Have each child touch the soapy end gently to the milk and watch the ghosts fly and leave a colorful trail.
Class Video
Please share link with homeroom teacher ahead of session.