Little Miss Muffet - Making Curds and Whey

Modified: Feb 15, 2023 · Published: Nov 21, 2011 by Emma Vanstone · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

"Little Miss Muffet Sat on her Tuffet Eating her Curds and Whey"

Cartoon image of Little Miss Muffet sat under a tree with a spider next to her.

But what are curds? This experiment turns milk into a solid which sets hard when left to dry.

How to make Curds and Whey for Little Miss Muffet

Skimmed milk

White vinegar

Microwave-proof bowl or a pan and hob

Strainer/sieve

Milk and white vinegar on a counter with a glass bowl.

Instructions

Add four teaspoons of white vinegar to one and a half cups of skimmed milk.
Microwave the mixture for about a minute or heat on the hob/stove.
After a minute, the milk and vinegar will separate into a liquid (the whey) and a solid (the curd).
Strain the liquid and squeeze curds into one big lump. Squeeze out all the leftover liquid.

Remember to ask an adult to help.

Curds and whey - little Miss Muffet activity for kids

Allow the curds to cool and then mould into a shape.

Make curd and whey like Little Miss Muffet

Leave the curd shape to harden. We call this plastic milk, but it's not really plastic!

What are Curds and Whey?

The vinegar creates a chemical reaction which makes the milk separate into two parts, a solid (the curds) and a liquid (the whey.)The protein in the curds is what makes it act like rubber.

If you enjoyed this Little Miss Muffet activity, you'll love our Humpty Dumpty and Incy Wincy Spider activities too!

Make curds and whey like Little Miss Muffet. Fun kitchen science and nursery rhyme science activity for kids #littlemissmuffet #nurseryrhymeactivities #scienceforkids #kitchenscience

Last Updated on February 15, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

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Comments

Pati @ A Crafty Escape says

November 22, 2011 at 12:41 pm

Very cool! My kids would like this!

Found you on abcand123learning's Show & Tell.

Reply
- Multiple Mummy says
  
  November 23, 2011 at 11:46 am
  
  Thanks for coming to take a look. Have a go, it is so easy!
  
  Reply
Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas says

November 23, 2011 at 12:51 pm

what a fun experiment! i know my girls would find this interesting. thanks for sharing!

Reply
- ScienceSparks says
  
  November 23, 2011 at 10:32 pm
  
  Thanks you. Let us know if you try it. x
  
  Reply
Ashley says

November 23, 2011 at 3:31 pm

We did something very similar to this in my 7th grade science class and to this day I can't eat cottage cheese (it looked too much like it).

Reply
- ScienceSparks says
  
  November 23, 2011 at 10:32 pm
  
  Ha ha! I hope we don't put anyone else off! x
  
  Reply
maggy,red ted art says

November 23, 2011 at 7:44 pm

If you add enough vinegar, could you make something that won't go off - i.e. could this be a new "type of playdough" could you make something with it? I have random thoughts, you don't really have to answer that.

Thank you for joining Kids Get Crafty!

Maggy

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Renu says

February 19, 2014 at 4:19 am

Hi. I love you site.

The Plastic milk that you have made is also known as paneer. Its a sort of cheese used in Indian cooking especially in the northern regions. We use lemon juice or vinegar to separate the milk. Its then, kept in a cheese cloth and hung, of which the whey drains out and the end product is allowed to become firm.

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G.SREENIVASULU says

November 29, 2018 at 6:02 am

what chemical reaction occurs between milk and vinegar?

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