Johnson County Podcasts
4-H and Youth Development
 June
21, 2010
Color Symphony - 4-H STEM
(2:18 minutes)
Audio/Video Script:
Jeanie Zerr
County Extension Agent- 4-H
[Title Slide - 4-H STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. 4-H
Clover. Color Symphony, Jeanie Zerr, Johnson County Extension Agent - 4-H, U of A University of Arkansas Division of
Agriculture.]
[Jeanie Zerr] Hi, my name is Jeanie Zerr, Johnson County Extension Agent in charge of 4-H
Youth Development. Today we are going to do a STEM activity called Color
Symphony. In this experiment it illustrates how soap works as surfactant to break down facts and greases.
[Jeanie showing all the materials needed to conduct the experiment]:
The supplies you will need for the experiment are: a flat cookie sheet, whole milk,
food coloring (at least 3 different colors) and regular dish soap.
[Jeanie doing the demonstration] Directions: Carefully pour the milk into the
tray so that it just covers just the bottom. Add about 6-8 drops of different colored
food coloring onto the milk in different spots. Add about 5 drops of the liquid
soap onto the drops of food coloring and watch the show! [Food coloring that was
standing on top of milk starts to break down and disperse]
[Picture of end product where colors have moved around and mixed together] The Science. We know the color comes from the food
coloring I added, but what made the colors move and mix? The main job of dish
soap is to go after fat or grease and break it down. Usually the fat is on
dishes from the food we eat, but fat is also in whole milk. When you drop the
liquid soap onto the tray, it tries to break down the fat in the milk. While
doing that, it causes the colors to scatter and mix creating a very colorful
display. The soap breaks down the fat into
the milk and causes the food coloring to swirl and make some really interesting
designs. Soap is a "degreaser" so the molecules in it are attacking the fat in
the milk, causing motion. The surface tension of the milk is broken by the
reaction, which creates the swirls of color.
[Title Slide- U of A University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture] For more
information on 4-H contact your county Extension office.
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