Kohl Children’s Museum
STEAM EXPLORERS
Shake then take a Butter Break
Materials:
 Small, clean watertight plastic
container or glass jar with lid
 Very cold whipping cream
Activity:
1. This activity is best with more than one child to do
the shaking, and can of course be great for family
time!
2. Fill the container half full of the whipping cream.
Put the lid on tightly. Pass the container around to
the child or children, and ask each to shake the
container 8-10 times. Invite family members to
pitch in until the shaking sound changes, sounding
less like liquid, the cream clearly becoming thicker
and more of a solid.
3. Open the container and have your child/children
describe what’s inside. Serve the butter with
bread or a cracker. While you’re having this tasty
snack, ask what could have been done to speed
up the process of turning cream into butter.
Model responses if needed, such as:
a. Begin with colder cream
b. Shake the container faster/slower
c. Add a marble
d. Use a glass jar instead of plastic
Choose two of these responses/hypotheses and provide
the materials to test it at another time. Use a timer to
determine which one is the faster approach.