Ewwww! That looks so gross. Yep, those were the exact words out of my son’s mouth when I placed the jiggling gelatin heart down in front of him. We have been going for a bit more creepier science activities this Halloween season like our zombie slime. This gelatin experiment is no exception. Get in on the Halloween fun with Halloween science experiments your kids will love!
Halloween Gelatin Experiment
Note: This experiment is edible but unflavored with our chosen gelatin packets. It’s probably not tasty!
Supplies:
- Gelatin or Jello Packs {we choose gelatin for the color but you could also use red jello}
- Water
- Pot {boil water with adult supervision}
- spoon
- Gelatin Heart Mold or Brain Mold (dollar store or Amazon)
- Pipette, Skewer, Plastic Butter Knife {for dissecting and exploring}
- Food Coloring Mixed in Water
How To Make A Gelatin Heart Or Brain
STEP 1. Follow the directions on the package of the gelatin or jello mix.
STEP 2. Add the gelatin or jello to your mold and remove when set.
Originally we made both a brain and a small heart, the brain didn’t fare well when we removed it from the mold. The heart was perfect though. I am wondering if a quick spray with a non-stick cooking spray would help the release.
Check out the cool gelatin science above and join us for our 31 Days of Halloween STEM Countdown
STEP 3. Add red food coloring to a cup of water and use a pipette to add the “blood” to your brain or heart.
What happens when you cut into your gelatin heart? Learn more about the human heart with this fun heart model you can make.
More Awesome Gelatin or Jello Activities
Is Jello A Solid Or A Liquid?
Our gelatin heart below is called a semi-solid. Not quite a liquid and not quite a true solid.
Gelatin is made of long strings of amino acids {with a little hydrogen} that when heated loosen up and jiggle and slide along each other in a liquid state, but they also love water and like to stick to it {just not very well}.
When the gelatin is placed in the fridge as the water cools, the bond between the atoms in the water and gelatin strengthens, and the semi-solid gelatin forms. It’s only a weak bond, though, making it semi-solid.
That’s some grossly cool and creepy chemistry that I am pretty sure every mad junior scientist can get around for Halloween!
More Spooky Halloween Experiments
Check out our complete list of spooky Halloween science experiments for kids!
Printable Halloween STEM Activities Pack
150+ Pages of Halloween-Themed Materials!
This Halloween project pack is suitable for home, school, and group use for kids in grades Kindergarten through elementary but is scaleable for many ages and abilities.
What’s Included:
- 25+ Halloween theme science and STEM activities with printable sheets, instructions, and helpful information all using easy-to-source materials perfect for limited-time needs. Includes a Halloween engineering pack with fun, problem-based challenges for kids to solve!
- The skeleton activity pack includes building a skeleton challenge and a coding challenge! Try a skeleton bone bridge-building STEM challenge!
- Halloween theme brick printable activities for hands-on learning with math that is perfect for early finishers or home fun and reinforces basic math concepts.
- Bonus fun pack includes games and activities to round out your Halloween theme, such as I Spy, bingo, matching, Would You Rather cards, scavenger hunt, word search, A-Z Halloween hunt, and a coloring page.
- The Halloween STEAM Pack includes artist-inspired projects by Warhol, Lichtenstein, and more!
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