If you want a quick and easy science experiment for kids, try the fun making butter science experiment. It’s science you can eat!
Each day, we will be posting a fun post about STEM activities (science, technology, engineering, and math). We will have just about 10 posts per topic starting with science.
Today is our first science experiment for kids- making butter! We adore this experiment and it is one of our very favorite classic science fair projects.
Everything You Need to Know about the Butter Science Experiment
Kids will love this fun butter making science experiment. Learn about the science of butter making, how to make butter, and why shaking turns cream into butter in this fun science experiment for kids.
Follow these directions to do your own making butter science experiment.
The Science of Butter Making
When cream is shaken, the fat molecules in the cream leave their normal position and clump together. After a while, all of the fat molecules cling together, forming a lump of butter and leaving the buttermilk behind.
Making butter is a perfect science experiment for kids of all ages. Monkey loved watching the fat separate, and even Bo enjoyed shaking up the cream. As long as you have cream at home, this project requires no special ingredients or supplies.
How to Turn Butter Making into a Science Fair Project
All you need to transform any science activity into a science fair project is organization!
First, you will need to ask a question, Some questions about the butter experiment include:
- Does warm or cool cream turn into butter faster?
- Can you make butter out of milks with less fat?
- How long does it take to make butter?
- Does placing the cream in different containers change how quickly it forms?
- Can you make butter from plant-based milk?
- What is the best brand of cream for making butter?
From the question, kids should come up with a hypothesis of what they think the answer might be, and then identify variables to test and then conduct the experiment to see if their hypothesis was correct.
Additionally, kids must record data while doing their science fair project so they can create their official report for the science fair.
Butter Making Supplies
- Heavy whipping cream
- Mason jar
- A willing shaker
What You Need for a Science Fair
You’ll want to have these supplies on hand before doing your science fair project. Shop the included Amazon storefronts to make things easier and don’t forget to download the free science fair planning checklist before getting started!
Science Fair Project Planning
When you’re planning your project, you want to keep everything organized. Click the image below to get my free science fair project checklist so you can start organizing your project from the start.
You may also want to check out this list of science fair project research supplies.
Supplies for a Science Fair Project
There are so many supplies for science fair projects that are individual to each project, but if you want a general list of possible supplies and inspiration for your project, check out my selection of science fair experiment supplies on Amazon.
Supplies for a Science Fair Presentation
Your science fair presentation is important! It should look presentable and eye-catching. Check out this list of my favorite science fair presentation supplies.
Step-By-Step Directions for the Butter Science Experiment
Fill your mason jar about half way with cream.
Take turns shaking the butter until it is agitated and the fat begins to clump. We found that it took just a few minutes for the fat to start to clump together.
At this stage, the butter looked almost like ice cream with a slightly sandy texture.
After we got tired of shaking the cream, we rolled it up and down the floor for a while before starting to shake it again.
After about 10 minutes of shaking/rolling, the cream was converted into butter. This happened quite suddenly, and much faster than we thought. It only took about one minute of shaking before the cream turned into whipped cream.
This method even seemed faster than when you whip cream with a stand mixer.
Monkey rinsed away the buttermilk and added salt to the butter. We ate it over the next few days and it was delicious!
We also tried the buttermilk, but we decided it was not good at all. It tasted like water with a tiny bit of milk added.
Not so good. It was nothing like the buttermilk sold in grocery stores.
Have you made butter? Of all the easy science experiments for kids we’ve tried this month, making butter was one of our favorites!
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