MAKING BUTTER
AT HOME
All you need is a jar and some heavy cream. Fill the jar
about halfway with the cream and shake. Keep shaking! After
a few minutes, you'll have whipped cream. After about 10 minutes
you'll notice a more solid blob forming. When your butter
is formed, drain off the buttermilk. Rinse the butter and
press it into cheesecloth to dry it and remove the last of
the liquid. Add a little salt if you like. Eat it right away,
or put it in the fridge for later.
What's Happening?
When raw milk is left to stand, it separates into skim milk
and cream. The cream has proteins and fats in it. When you
shake the cream, all the fat globs stick together and make
butter. The liquid part has the proteins, and that's the buttermilk.
Doing Science with Kids
Scientists are people who ask lots of questions and make lots
of observations, even if they don't necessarily understand
or have explanations for them right away. Ask your child to
make predictions and describe what she sees. Don't worry so
much about the "right" answer. Developing curiosity
is the first step to becoming a scientist!
Download
the "MAKING BUTTER AT HOME" instructions (PDF)
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