Chemistry In Living Colour

Two simple chemistry experiments, Magic Milk and Turmeric Detectives, offered Room 2 students a way to explore chemical reactions visually through changing colours. These experiments were also a great opportunity to practise recording and reflecting in our science journals using the POE method: Predict, Observe, Explain.

Magic Milk

Milk contains fat molecules. When you add dish soap, it breaks the surface tension and reacts with the fat, sending the food colouring swirling like magic. It’s chemistry in motion.

Student science journal entries about Magic Milk:

Predict:

• I predict that the milk is going to turn rainbow-coloured and overflow all over the carpet! Jack 
• I think the milk is going to glow or explode. Lacey
• I think it will bubble and mix. George

Observe:

·       I observed it and the colours did not like each other. When we mixed it, it turned a different colour. Liam

·       I observed that the colours spread apart. Lacey

·       I saw that when we put the dishwashing liquid in, the colours split and then they went back together. George

Explain:

·       The soap reduces the surface tension of the milk, causing it to swirl. Liam

·       Milk has fat in it and soap breaks up the fat. Olive

·       The movement happens because of the chemical reaction between the soap and the fat molecules. Rosalie

Turmeric Detectives

Turmeric contains curcumin, a natural pH indicator. It stays yellow in acidic substances (like lemon juice) and turns reddish-brown in basic substances (like washing powder). This shows a clear colour change based on the pH of what you apply.

Student science journal entries about Turmeric Detectives:

Predict:

• I think it will be see-through. Brodie
• You will be able to colour it in and rub it out. Molly
• I predict that the acids might rub out the writing. I think? Mack

Observe:

·       It turned pinky-red and it could rub out with the lemon juice. Brooklyn

·       We dipped the paintbrush in the washing powder mix and amazingly it let us draw on the turmeric! It turned orange and when we poured on the lemon juice, all the orange turned back to yellow. Lennon

·       It changed colour when I put the washing powder and the lemon on. Dylan

Explain: 

• Turmeric stays yellow in acid and turns red/pink in a base. Liam

• ‘pH’ stands for ‘power of hydrogen’. It shows if something is an acid or a base. It stays yellow in lemon juice (an acid) and turns red or pink in washing powder (a base). Lacey

• ‘pH’ is a way to measure how acidic or basic a liquid is. Lucy

Science isn’t just about doing — it’s about thinking, noticing, and understanding. Using a science journal has supported learners to slow down and really examine what’s happening. The POE format has encouraged critical thinking by asking students to make predictions based on what they know, observing carefully and explaining scientifically, usually with a given explanation. Writing in this way structured students’ scientific thinking and helped them feel like real scientists.

Both Magic Milk and Turmeric Detectives were powerful ways to make invisible science visible through colour. They showed how chemical reactions can be dramatic and eye-catching, and how important it is to record evidence and think critically.

That's science — in living colour.