We started with a regular yellow cake batter. You can use a cake mix, or your favorite from scratch recipes. Then, we divided the batter into six bowls, and added food coloring to make the colors of the rainbow. This is a good color mixing exercise for the little ones, but it does mean feeding your children a lot of artificial dye.
Once we had the colors mixed, we blopped them one on top of another into the cake pan, and baked it as normal. I realized after we started blopping, that we had goofed up the order of the rainbow - but, oh well.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzkzYQ81yvEZ0y2qV2pNMaHmcKQCJpvdPGCnG661QgbXGVjEan0Q5oGyJuCt251MpdV2-NeadIYMiiKzwu23n6vJmie4DWAR23iz8DWgNOFY2WFTVw38f9cBYTzARb4LMK84wAT9FICia/s200/ebay+203.jpg)
Frosted, the cake looked liked any old regular unassuming cake. But once it was sliced, there was a rainbow surprise.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvKhPTML29njbcQYo3r6hCrwlGTi2uDbOCPaBGNrDpvJ-RVgaTaHItExAlv5DwO_DM3J_oxTYGD_MJ2OFpT_INJ2CVzDSSIooP6fD5jMaiTk5yoUXgyWOU1J67ThsVC4T6a17F9yG1pwL/s200/ebay+206.jpg)
While we had the food coloring out, I decided to give a 30 second chemistry lesson - also known as magic milk. We took a bowl of whole milk (any milk will do, but this experiment works the best with the highest fat content you can get).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwMvPDi_TINOCTohUaFhUJEQ5V3dmglC8FxyM3LEMXzUDWSo85W4yxopO4TDUMU_99vn9mn2Dbw8e-DOq6vryIbnmQjn08CfIvkXxlXZm7UeIf40cjRozr6LOv4bkYRvhfqPukd0iUOJJ/s200/ebay+207.jpg)
We added four drops of food coloring, trying not to let them touch.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqk1o1SZckzd5GYUA3BWAet-ztS-pHktEaxEM1264XdyQMxvlTKfeHpP9YliDHrUdNboD1-52wg7RzQOHP7ZY1kIpZSdQIN7Gdf-x-dJmzTu5ahFeXHYFvubSL-na1VzQDJYW6aGXBmJC/s200/ebay+208.jpg)
Then, we added one drop of dish soap to the middle of the dish, and watched as the colors danced and mixed, as if there was invisible hand stirring them. I started into my prepared speech on surfactants, surface tension, and fat eating enzymes (you can find a really good explanation of the science behind this experiment at www.chemistry.learnhub.com/lesson/3809-chemistry-experiment-magic-milk), but being full of sugar and red dye #40, they were more interested in the "magic" than the science.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkhhu_ebVyDf3kr8NdakIpgKjq4DrJv7C64q7zgWzFmB9gD84FeR7SFFnLLQSOheMNQXRKtupBMS0mHUMdCWJpTFbHJMZgCzjpTxuWo_mxncKM-iZF5S-7RtqOAkgEvd1RXDsnHVdT1ri/s200/ebay+209.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAMtpZ6Yl7j0VYC6e8srRxd4IALxeTdAS4epEG5Zv_-Cfg6Q-1ZF06xToVKUQbGx8OWgXEsjJxgFuUHHIh1lHa9KJ0OqadUNfZBPZ1m_tjV_lAxHZESW_ijMQotTbgoqH7ztmVeCMJYj2/s200/ebay+210.jpg)
So it was rainbows, cake and magic tricks. Was it art, home economics, science, or a party? Let's just say it was just another rainy afternoon at home.
It's great to be a homeschooler!
1 comment:
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