Have you ever tried making plastic from milk? It’s an exciting DIY project that can encourage your little one’s creativity while also teaching them about science. By using only two ingredients found in your kitchen, you can turn milk into a pliable material that offers endless possibilities for crafting. Creating milk plastic is a great way to inspire your kiddo’s imagination and keep them engaged with hands-on fun.
Contents
- What You’ll Need
- How to Make Milk Plastic
- Different Milk Plastic Possibilities
- Slight Milk Plastic Variations
- Why We Love This Activity
- Final Thoughts
What You’ll Need
- Milk. We found the most success with 2% milk or whole milk. Heavy cream did not work, and skim milk yielded tough curds that were not moldable. Whole milk produced very pliable curds. We did not try 1%.
- Vinegar or lemon juice. We used white vinegar. The key is to use an acid to create the curdling effect.
- Paper towels. I also used an old T-shirt I use for cleaning to save on paper towels. Those things are so expensive!
- Colander or strainer
Optional
- Paint. Anything besides watercolor would most likely work. These metallic acrylic paints looked the best (in my opinion).
- Mod Podge. It seals the final product and gives a wonderful finish.
- Non toxic glue
- Cornstarch
How to Make Milk Plastic
One Batch: 2 tablespoons of vinegar per 1 cup of milk
- Start by lining your strainer with a paper towel or cheesecloth to make your life a little easier a few steps later.
- Next, pour your milk into a microwave-safe bowl or a medium saucepan if you use the stove. Heat the milk until it is just before a simmer, then remove it from the heat source. If you use a microwave, heating it for approximately 2 minutes does the trick. However, be careful not to burn the milk.
- Then, add the vinegar and stir the mixture. You should quickly notice the curdling effect.
- You can wait for the hot liquid to cool before straining it to be safe; however, I did not (my impatience got the best of me). Of course, this step is best performed by an adult if you skip the cooling step. Additionally, the curds cool quickly once the hot liquid has been removed.
- To drain the mixture, pour it into a strainer lined with a paper towel. After the initial straining, transfer the curds onto either four layers of paper towels or an old T-shirt. Then, squeeze as much liquid out of the curds as possible. Once you have removed as much liquid as possible, transfer the curds to your work area and knead them for a bit to help bring them together.
- Voilà, your milk plastic is ready to mold!
Different Milk Plastic Possibilities
Molding can be a great way to spark your child’s imagination. You can create small toys, beads, ornaments, and more using silicone or Play-Doh molds. We made various beads, a jewelry dish, and cut-out shapes with cookie cutters from flattened curds. It’s a fun activity that both kids and adults can enjoy!
When making beads, it’s important to insert a skewer stick or mini straw to create a hole before allowing them to dry unless you have a power drill, then you can create the hole after it dries. The milk plastic is delicate while still wet and can easily break or crack, so handling molded items with care is essential. If any cracks or breaks occur, add a little water to the area and attempt to stick it back together.
Likewise, Mod Podge works very well as a repair agent. Although Mod Podge may leave some glossy patches, this can be easily rectified with a final Mod Podge coat after painting to provide an excellent finish and seal.
After making your items, set them aside for 24-48 hours to dry (depending on the thickness). I did attempt to speed up the process by placing them in our air fryer programmed to the ‘dehydrate’ mode (135 F). Anything higher in temperature could make them crack. Once they are dry, encourage your little one to decorate them however they please. Meli chose paint, as always!
Once the milk plastic dries, it is pretty durable. We accidentally dropped the beads (even the more fragile-looking ones), and none of them broke.
Slight Milk Plastic Variations
Variation 1: Soaking
I read that soaking the curds in vinegar for an hour and then straining them after kneading can improve their texture. I tried it myself and found that it worked – the curds were less crumbly and smoother. Of course, this step is optional, but if you choose to do it, drain out as much liquid as possible after soaking.
Variation 2: Glue + Cornstarch
I got a little creative and mixed in some glue and cornstarch to the recipe. Doing this resulted in a fun and smoother texture for the curds. It also made the mixture come together better and produced a consistency almost like typical Play-Doh. Although it was less crumbly, it was slightly more sticky. Using this variation, we created some adorable Halloween-themed beads and even made a couple of necklaces that Meli adored.
Recipe we used: 2 batches + 1 tablespoon of glue + 5 tablespoons of cornstarch
I played around with this recipe a little and decided to make Melianna a ‘mom-made’ birthday gift. She loves unicorns, so I couldn’t resist making her a unicorn jewelry dish.
Why We Love This Activity
Milk plastic offers a variety of benefits. A few include:
- It provides an educational opportunity to learn about chemical reactions and the science behind it.
- All necessary ingredients are non-toxic and commonly found in the kitchen.
- It promotes eco-friendly crafting.
- It helps little ones develop their fine motor skills and sensory exploration.
- It offers endless creativity opportunities. Kiddos (and adults) can shape and mold it into various forms and then paint/decorate their creations.
- The final product is relatively durable.
- It is budget-friendly.
Final Thoughts
Crafting with milk plastic is simple and offers sustainability, education, creativity, and safety (knowing it’s nontoxic for your little one), making it a fantastic option for engaging kiddos in hands-on art and science projects.
We hope you enjoyed this idea and found these instructions helpful. Please share your thoughts, questions, or experience with milk plastic in the comment section below. We would love to hear your feedback! What is your little one’s favorite milk plastic craft?
Would you like more craft ideas? Check out our Kid Crafts and our DIY Family Crafts. Are you interested in more sensory activity ideas? Check out Sensory Activities for more possibilities. Also, take a look at our DIY Sensory Table for an easy and thrifty activity center you can make in less than an hour.
