Are gingerbread men cookies a staple in your house around Christmas time? Personally, I love a soft gingerbread cookie anytime of the year. This time we set up a dissolving gingerbread men Christmas science activity to enjoy our tasty treat while we learn. Dissolving food is a super simple classic science activity that’s must try for young kids. Celebrate your holiday with Christmas Science and STEM activities!

DISSOLVING GINGERBREAD MEN CHRISTMAS SCIENCE!

Science is so important for young kids! Exposing kids to simple science activities encourages curiosity. Kids have a lot of questions and setting up simple science experiments such as this dissolving gingerbread men experiment is a cool way to encourage science skills like observing, testing, and questioning.

STEM is a also a great term to know. What is STEM and is it valuable? STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math and plays an important role in our society.

WE HAVE MORE THAN 35 AWESOME SCIENCE AND STEM IDEAS FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS.

SUPPLIES:

clear plastic cups
gingerbread man cookies
liquids (water, seltzer, milk, juice, vinegar, anything you want!)
Stopwatch or smart device for recording times
Papertowels for spills

Note: Simply using cold, warm, and room temperature water is a quick and easy way to set up this experiment.

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT SET UP

Dissolving science experiments such as this are so simple and fun for kiddos because of course is involves favorite themed snacks. You can also pair this with a candy cane dissolving experiment.

STEP 1: To get started with a dissolving gingerbread man experiment, simply fill clear plastic cups with different liquids.

STEP 2: Have your kiddos make predictions for what they think will happen to the cookies in the different liquids. Go ahead and even have them draw the cookie!

STEP 3: Place a cookie into each cup. Note the characteristics of the cookie before you add it to the liquid. Is it hard, soft, bumpy, rough, smooth. A good scientist is always making observations!

STEP 4: Wait and watch! Are there any immediate changes to the cookies? Set a time of 5-10 minutes for this experiment.

STEP 5: At the end of the selected time, make more observations about the cookies! Did a specific liquid or temperature liquid have more or less of an effect on the cookie. What are the characteristsics of the cookie now.

STEP 6: If you can, remove the cookie (or what’s left) from the liquid and observe it more closely. Kiddos can touch the cookie as well and record the new characteristsics of the cookie! Squishy, I bet!

STEP 7: If you had the kiddos draw a picture of the cookie to start, have them draw a picture of the what the cookie looks like now!

STEP 8: Draw some conclusions! What do the kiddos think about what happened to the cookies and where their predictions correct?

NEW! Print out our free gingerbread man science journal sheet to go with the activity. DOWNLOAD HERE