Explore Easter science with a quick, easy, and inexpensive candy science activity this season. Try a dissolving jelly beans experiment with the kids this year. Pair with a jelly bean building activity or make jelly bean oobleck to get the most out of a single bag of favorite Easter candy!
Dissolving Jelly Bean Experiment
Add this simple science experiment to your Easter lesson plans this season. Let’s dig in if you want to learn more about solvents and solutes. While you’re at it, make sure to check out these other fun Easter activities and Easter Minute To Win It Games.
Watch The Video:
Supplies:
- Jelly Beans
- Small glass or plastic jars
- Warm water
- Rubbing alcohol
- Vinegar
- Cooking oil
Instructions:
STEP 1: Place a few jelly beans in each jar.
STEP 2: Pour a different liquid into each jar, I used warm water, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and cooking oil.
Tip: Make sure you note which jar has which liquid in it. Either write on the jar, number each jar and keep a list or write on a piece of paper and put under each jar.
STEP 3: Observe the jelly beans in each jar to see what happens to the jelly beans.
Questions to ask…
- What do you expect to see if a jelly bean is starting to dissolve in the liquid?
- What is happening to the jelly beans in each jar?
You could make observations immediately, after a hour and even after several days.
Dissolving Jelly Beans In The Classroom
What other candies or liquids could you use to test this experiment? Of course, Easter is also the perfect time for a peeps science experiment!
To make this Easter jelly beans activity easier for a classroom setting, you could choose just two different liquids or compare hot and cold tap water.
Why Do Jelly Beans Dissolve?
Why do jelly beans dissolve in the water and not in some of the other liquids?
This dissolving jelly beans experiment explores the solubility of a solid (jelly beans) in various liquids! For a liquid (solvent) to dissolve a solid (solute), the molecules in the liquid and the solid must be attracted.
Jelly beans are made of sugar, and sugar molecules and water molecules are attracted to each other! So water is a great solvent for sugar candy, like jelly beans!
Why does sugar not dissolve in oil? The molecules of oil are non polar and they are not attracted to polar sugar molecules, the same as water molecules. Alcohol has some polar molecules, the same as water, and some non-polar, the same as oil.
Experiment with different liquids, such as vinegar, oil, soda water, or milk, and see if the changes are similar or different. Which liquid is the best solvent?
What happens if you leave the jelly beans in the liquids overnight? Are there any additional changes? You could also remove the jelly beans and note any changes to the candy! Do NOT eat jelly beans in liquids!
This experiment is a fantastic example of a physical change. While the physical characteristics of the jelly bean may change in the various liquids, a new substance is not formed.
Check out more fun Easter ideas!
- Jelly Bean Engineering
- Easy Easter Science Activities
- Peeps Experiments
- Egg Drop STEM Challenge
- Easter Slime Recipes
Printable Easter Project Pack
- 20+ Easter science activities and STEM projects kids that are easy to set up and fit into the time you have available even if it’s limited!
- Printable Easter theme STEM activities that are simple but engaging for home or classroom. Perfect for K-2 and beyond but easily adaptable to many skill levels.
- Dive into simple background science explanations to share with kids while they explore hands-on and playful experiments, projects, and activities such as Easter oobleck, erupting eggs, regrowing lettuce, and more!
- Engaging Easter STEM activities pack with theme activities, journal pages, and design process steps! Learn about the design process and think like an engineer while you design and build a better Easter basket and more!
- Easy to gather supplies makes these STEM activities ideal when you have limited resources available. Specialty activities include a catapult and balloon rocket challenge pack with log sheets!
- Additional STEM activities: Include the great Easter egg tower, spaghetti, marshmallow challenge Easter theme, brick building ideas, puzzles, and screen-free coding activities.
INCLUDES:
- Easter STEM Pack
- PEEPS Theme STEM Pack
- Easter Slime Science Pack
