They Blinded Me with Science!

I did something unexpected last night at the library. I don't think anyone has done anything like this previously. I am proud of myself for boldly venturing into uncharted territory for youth programming!

We had candy.

And Science.

Candy and Science together!

I ended up with 16 kids and about 9 adults. For 25 people to squeeze into one room upstairs at the library takes some maneuvering. I had picked out 6 science experiments that could be done with simple ingredients and of course, candy! I got the ideas from the book Candy Experiments by Loralee Leavitt. I won this book at the Lakeland Cooperative Summer Reading Program workshop back in November and my sweet tooth has been ACHING for a chance to try these experiments with some kiddos. Now that I know what to expect, I will also expect to try more of these experiments over the summer during Fizz Boom Read!

The first thing we did was test for secret ingredients. Anytime you mention to a kiddo that there might be a secret about something common, they are instantly drawn in. The test was to see what secret ingredient is in soft candies like Laffy Taffy and Starbursts. The secret ingredient that makes them chewy, of course, is simply air. But the kids get excited when you tell them that the ingredient isn't even listed on the package. To perform this experiment, you need a bowl, water, and one Starburst per child. It takes 30 minutes to finish. First you fill the bowl with water, and drop the starburst in. Make sure the Starburst is completely submerged. Then all you need to do is wait and observe every five minutes or so, so you can witness the changes occuring.

In the interim, we performed all the other experiments I had lined up. The second one was another secret ingredient experiment to find out what makes Pop Rocks Pop! I found a stash of two-pack pop rock candies at the Dollar General. So I got 24 packs of Pop Rocks for only twelve dollars. That's a pretty good deal considering that they're getting harder to find since they've been known to be used to flavor Methamphetamine, but I digress. I began this with a demonstration of pouring Pop Rocks into a 20 oz. Diet Pepsi, then covering the top with a balloon. I then told the famous Urban Legend of the boy who ate Pop Rocks and Coke and exploded. Most of them thought that was pretty funny. The experiment simply involves a clear cup, a pack of Pop Rocks, and water. I explained to the kids that there was a secret ingredient trapped inside the candy and the only way to discover it is to dissolve the sugar in water. So we did. The kids were fascinated by the fact that not only could you hear the popping, you can see the bubbles being released and floating to the top, much like soda pop. So while it was popping, I explained the scientific concept of Carbon Dioxide gas and the pop it makes when it is released.

Next, we shifted a little bit into two experiments on Density. The first one involved colored skittles, but you can also use M&M's. The concept is that if you mix colors, you often get another color, but what happens when the colored shells on candy dissolve? All you need to perform this is 2-4 candies, water, and a clear or white bowl. Put the water in first, then put the candies on the bottom. Then, watch and see that the answer is surprising. It is VERY important that you do not stir the water. That will cause the colors to blend instantly. That's not what we want to see. Because the density of the colored water is the same, neither color can mix with the other right away. Instead, they push against each other and form some wild patterns. You can do this with many colors and some kids had patterns of up to four colors pushing into one another. Then I talked about how water molecules are always moving around and how they always change their shape. Because of that, your colors will eventually mix together.

EDIT: You can also do a version of this with Candy Canes or Peppermint candies.

The next density experiment we performed was how to make a Starburst float. Because a Starburst is more dense than the water, it sinks right to the bottom? But if heavy tankers and cruise ships can float, we can make candy float. So the kids all experimented with forming the Starbursts with their hands into shapes that could float on top of the water. It was all about changing the shape and density of the candy to make it do what you wanted it to. Lots of fun for the kids.

Afterwards, we checked on our Starbursts from the beginning of the night and found something amazing. The starbursts that had been submerged for 30 minutes had shrunk and grown very hard as well. One of my regulars, (quite the smarty), deduced that if there were bubbles on the top of the water, there must have been air inside the candy and that air was the secret ingredient.









As a take home experiment I talked to the kids about how Marshmallows could be vampires as well. See, the corn starch in the Marshmallow will, over a period of a few days, absorb moisture from another object in a sealed environment, much like a Vampire drains blood from a victim. Our victim was a half slice of bread. To do this experiment, you simply need one marshmallow, a Ziplock sandwich bag, and a half slice of bread. Put the bread and Marshmallow in the bag and seal the bag. Over a few days, the starch in the Marshmallow with absorb the moisture from the bread causing the Marshmallow to grow and the bread to become thin and brittle! Creepy, eh?

I wouldn't have been able to do this by myself. I had some wonderful parent volunteers who did not shy away from the call of duty when I needed them. They helped pour water, pass out marshmallows, bags, and bread. I will definitely be doing experiments like this again. Thankfully, the Summer Reading Program theme is science based, so I can predict I will run an event like this again!

Thanks for checking this out! I will talk to you again next week!

Pixelbeard
(Mr. Mike)