Keep the Christmas excitement going all month long with this great Dissolving Candy Canes Experiment!
Today we're sharing this easy and inexpensive science experiment to test out with the kids!
This candy canes experiment makes for a fun way to practice some of those science skills hands-on. Kids can develop their own predictions, follow the hypothesis theory, and have some amazing fun discovering all the possible outcomes!
So, save some candy canes for this awesome science experiment; it'll be totally worth it!
Candy canes are the quintessential Christmas candy, so we thought it was the perfect candy choice to base our Christmas-themed chemistry experiment for kids.
We turned our kitchen into a kid-friendly lab and mixed two of my little ones' favourite things: Christmas and fun science!
Check out some more Christmas Science Activities! Our Christmas Baking Soda Experiment is a fantastic option as well as our Melting Candy Cane Experiment!
If you want another science experiment involving edible items then check out our popcorn science experiment.
MORE: Science experiments for kids
Dissolving Candy Canes Experiment
Dissolving Candy Canes - Supplies:
- 6 cups water
- ½ cup sugar, divided
- ½ cup salt, divided
- 6 candy canes
Candy cane science experiment - Instructions:
STEP 1: Prep your lab.
Prepare all your materials and your workstation first! You will be setting up 6 cup of water for this candy can experiment.
Pour water into three cups, make sure each cup has the same amount of water. Then, in one cup, add a quarter cup of sugar and stir until it gets dissolved. In a second cup, add a quarter cup of salt and stir until dissolved.
STEP 2: Heat up the water.
Now, take the remaining three cups of water and heat them up until hot in the microwave.
STEP 3: Experiment with the hot liquid.
We'll repeat step 1 now but this time with hot water. So, just like we did before pour water into three different cups. Continue by adding a ¼ cup of sugar into one cup of hot water and mix until it's completely dissolved. Take another cup with hot water and add ¼ cup of salt, mix until dissolved.
STEP 4: Test the candy canes reaction.
Start the most exciting part of this experiment! Take the candy canes and place one into each of the 6 cups of water, setting a timer for 2 minutes.
Invite the kids to wait with you and once the two minutes are up, check the candy and make notes of which one has changed.
STEP 5: Keep going & take notes.
Keep checking up on the candy canes every 2 to 5 minutes and make notes of the changes you see in each candy cane.
Initiate a conversation about which liquids caused the candy to dissolve faster or slower and encourage the kids to make their own theories as to why that happened!
You can try different liquids to experiment with, also. Vinegar, fizzy drinks, soda pop, oil, even liquid dish soap! Everything your kids want to try will work as long as it is a liquid at room temperature!
No comments