March’s theme: Discovering Dairy!

READ: Join us for a  Facebook Live opens in a new window storytime on Mon., March 29 at 11 am! We will be reading “Milk from Cow to Carton” by Aliki with permission from HarperCollins Publishers.

WATCH: Discover the chemistry that goes into making yogurt and learn how to make this delicious snack at home!

Plus, don’t miss our conversation with North Hills Community Outreach opens in a new window about the science of vermicomposting!

DO: Make your own butter at home with a few simple ingredients!

Homemade Butter Activity

Materials:

  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Marbles (apprx. 6–7)
  • Plastic container with tight lid (screw-top is best!)
  • Strainer or dishtowel

Steps:

  1. Gather all your materials!
  2. Measure out the heavy whipping cream and salt and pour into the container.
  3. Add the glass marbles to the container with the cream and salt. Six to seven marbles are appropriate for this recipe but add more if you scale up.
  4. Place the lid securely onto your container. A screw-top container is best since it makes a tight seal. Make sure that your container and lid are not fragile, since the marbles will be hitting against them.
  5. Make the butter! Vigorously shake the container with the marbles. You’ll need to shake for about 10 minutes, or until the butter reaches a whipped consistency. The marbles help to churn the cream into butter!
  6. Once the butter has reached a whipped texture, give it a taste! Does it taste different than the butter you’ve had before? You can pour off the extra liquid. This is buttermilk, which can be saved to make pancakes or other baked goods!
  7. Once you’ve made your butter, take out the marbles before putting it away. Place the marbles in a fine-mesh strainer or dishtowel and run under water until clean.
  8. Now that you’ve made your butter, you can use it just like the stuff from the store! You can enjoy a small amount on top of steamed vegetables! If not using all your butter at once, you can store it in the fridge for an additional day or two.

Safety: Marbles can be a choking hazard – use caution around young children!

Download the “Homemade Butter” activity sheet (PDF). opens in a new window