Mix candy and science! You bet because candy making much like baking is part science! At-home science is one of our favorite things to do! What’s extra fabulous about science activities for kids has to be how easy they are to set up! This specific group of candy science experiments is also a great way to use up the extra Halloween candy that has been stashed in the drawer for months. These candy science experiments for kids are a great way to get kids interested in science!
CANDY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS YOU CAN DO AT HOME!
CANDY SCIENCE FOR KIDS?
Can you do science with candy?
You bet!
Is it hard?
Nope!
What do you need to get started?
A trip to the pantry! Make a grocery list and prepare to rock snacktime this week! Here are eight of my candy science activities for kids that are totally do-able and make sense to try! Plus, I have even more food science activities that are super popular!
TRY THESE CANDY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
Click on each link below to see supplies, set up, and process information as well as quick science behind the activity information. Also, grab our free mini-pack which shares the science process in a fun and digestible way for young kids as well as a journal page you can pair with each activity for the older kiddos.
These are science activities for kids that work well with many age groups from preschool to elementary and beyond. Our activities have also been readily used with special needs groups in high school and young adult programs! More or less adult supervision depends on your kids’ abilities!
Looking for easy science process information and free journal pages?
We have you covered…
—>>> FREE Science Process Pack
COLORFUL CANDY ACTIVITIES!
Science doesn’t have to be boring or the same old thing!
If your kids are into candy (which I am sure they are), they will totally be into candy experiments with a little taste testing! Who wouldn’t want to play with candy for science? Science you can eat is one of our favorites including ice cream in a bag.
Plus, you’ll find a complete list of edible science activities here including all the favorite candy slimes. Sometimes, all it takes is a trip to the kitchen to get kids into science
Grab some simple candy supplies and let’s get started!
DISSOLVING CANDY LAB
There are so many options to try with a dissolving candy lab from types of candy to types of liquid. Hard candy, soft candy, mints, lollipops. Here we have an experiment to explore how to dissolve gummy fish, but we have tried just about everything including candy canes, candy corn, and conversation hearts!
Alternative Option: If you have a good assortment of different colored lollipops (or other hard, colorful candies), you can set up a color mixing candy lab with cups of water.
LOOK: Dissolving Candy Fish
GROWING GUMMY BEAR LAB
Can you make the gummy bear grow? Using different liquids (water, salt water, juice, soda, etc.) observe how gummy bears expand, or don’t, in a variety of solutions, and determine why that is. Don’t forget to measure and record the size of your gummy bears before and after!
Note: Measure after 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, and even 48 hours!
What’s Happening?
Osmosis! Gummy bears will expand in size due to osmosis. Osmosis is the ability of water (or another liquid) to be absorbed through a semi-permeable substance which in this case is the gelatin. The gelatin in the gummy bears also keeps them from dissolving except for when they are placed in an acidic liquid such as vinegar.
EXPLORE A SKITTLES RAINBOW
A rainbow of colors, but why don’t they mix? Did you also know that you can do this classic science experiment with m&m’s and jelly beans?
LOOK: Skittles Rainbow
DISCOVER FLOATING M’s
The floating m is a classic science experiment, deceptively simple, and fascinating for kiddos to watch
LOOK: Floating M’s
CHOCOLATE TASTE TEST
Quite a few mini chocolate candies look the same unwrapped, but their insides tell a different story. This is a great candy science experiment to set up with all of the Halloween candy loot!
LOOK: Candy 5 Senses Experiment
SOFT CANDY STRUCTURES
Building activities with candy are always a hit. Our favorite candy to us with toothpicks is either mini marshmallows or gumdrops! Gumdrops come in various shapes and colors for holidays too!
LOOK: Gumdrop Structures
MAKE A STARBURST ROCK CYCLE
Don’t eat just any rocks! Make your own edible rocks with Starburst. This candy experiment will take your kiddos through each step of the rock cycle all while using a favorite candy!
If you have enough candy, make this Starburst slime as well!
LOOK: Starburst Edible Candy Rock Cycle
MAKE A CANDY DNA MODEL
DNA might sound fairly complex to share with your early elementary age kiddos, but the basics are not too hard to explain which is what we do here with candy. They’ll learn more in-depth material later in life, but for now, building a candy DNA model is fun!
LOOK: Build a candy DNA model for fun candy science and biology.
MARSHMALLOW SLIME
Marshmallow is a wonderful stretchy base for candy slime. We have a few options here including a S’mores marshmallow slime and a marshmallow fluff slime! Ofcourse if you also want to make gummy bear slime or starburst slime, we have those too!
Oh, and if you have Peeps leftover, they make fun playdough like slime too.
LOOK:
MORE SCIENCE PROJECTS AT HOME
Need more at-home science projects that are actually do-able? Check out the last two in our series of Easy Science with Kids at Home! Make sure to download the science process journal and each of the handy guides!
SCIENCE IN A JAR
What kind of science can you do in a jar? All kinds! Plus, all you need are simple kitchen ingredients
SCIENCE YOU CAN EAT
Can you eat science? You bet! Kids love tasty, edible science, and adults love inexpensive and easy to set up experiments!
MORE FUN THINGS TO DO AT HOME
- 25 Things To Do Outside
- Easy Science Experiments To Do At Home
- Distance Learning Activities For Preschoolers
- Virtual Field Trip Ideas To Go On An Adventure
- Fantastic Math Worksheets For Kids
- Fun Printable Activities For Kids
- LEGO Landmark Challenges
GET STARTED WITH SCIENCE YOU CAN EAT!
Have you seen our Learn at Home Bundle?
It’s perfect for distance learning or just for fun! Read more about it here.
Looking for easy science process information and free journal pages?
We have you covered…
—>>> FREE Science Process Pack
Fun Preschool Puzzle Games