Tag: science week

Growing Candy

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DIY Rock Candy

We were reading fun fiction book one day and in the book the child planted candy and it grew into more candy. Then I had this little conversation with my son:

👦🏻 “Mama, you can’t GROW candy!”
👩🏼 “Oh really?? Let’s find out” 

Some of my most favorite activities from out of my kiddo’s saying, “you can’t ….” you can fill in the blank. Then we try to look at it from another direction and see if you really can or cannot do it. Growing candy has to be the most 🍬SWEET 🍬 experiment yet!

The recipe is very simple. The hardest part is waiting 2-3 days while the crystals grow in size!

‼️ This activity uses very hot liquids and requires full parental supervision. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup of Water
  • 3 Cups of White Sugar + extra 1/4 cup white sugar
  • Food Coloring – I used gel color that I had on hand
  • Optional – Candy flavoring to make your rock candy extra special!

You will also need a sauce pan, measuring cups, glasses (or jars) for growing the crystals in, and lollipop sticks.

Note: This recipe was perfect for my containers, but you could easily double it to make more candy or to fill bigger containers!

We grew 4 different flavors and colors of rock candy. For each color, you will need a glass or jar. First, I placed the stick in the middle of the glass and used clothes pins to hold it in the center. You do not want the stick to touch the bottom or the sides of the glass.

I was curious if I could grow crystals in a smaller container to save on the liquid necessary. Hence we also used this popsicle mold and clipped the sticks in the middle the same as we did for the glasses.

Next, you will take the prepped sticks out of the glass. Into the glass add small dab of gel color and 2 drops of candy flavor.

Now heat the 1 C Water and 3 C White Sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly to dissolve the sugar.

Stir constantly for about 1 minute after it comes to a boil, then turn off the heat. Transfer hot liquid to a heat proof measuring cup with a pour spout. Pour sugar syrup equally into each glass and stir with an extra stick to combine the food coloring and flavor with the sugar syrup.

Allow the sugar syrup to cool in the glasses for about half an hour before placing the wooden sticks into the liquid.

Next, place the wooden sticks on the clips into the containers to wet the stick.

Take the wet wooden stick out of the syrup mixture and roll it in the dry white sugar. This step is super important – the dry sugar will help the sugar crystals attach and grow on the wooden stick.

Place the sugar coated wooden sticks into glasses with the sugar syrup. Be gentle – you want to keep that dry sugar on the wooden stick! Make sure the stick isn’t touching the sides or bottom of the glass.

Set aside for 2-3 days and watch the sugar crystals grow!

On day 3, take the sugar crystals out of the syrup. Allow the crystals to drip off and then place on a paper towel to dry.

Now it is time to enjoy your treat!

Your kids will be totally in awe that you GREW candy right in your own kitchen!

Oh and are you curious if there was a difference between my small container and bigger glasses? There was! The sugar crystals that grew in the bigger containers were bigger than the sugar crystals that grew in the popsicle mold. Imagine that!

Look at all those colors! These 4 grew in the smaller popsicle mold. The crystals are smaller but they are still super tasty!

Here is an event better comparison. The green and blue on the left grew in the bigger glasses, the green and blue on the right grew in the smaller popsicle mold. So cool!

🍧 Fun tip: the leftover sugar syrup would make the PERFECT snow cone flavoring!

🍭 It turns out you really can grow candy with a couple ingredients and a big dose of patience 🍭

Happy Growing!!

Catch the Birdie

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Making a brain bending whirligig!

This super fun brain bender is brought to you by our amazing 50 Science Things to Make and Do. We come back to this book time and time again. There are so many fun activities with fun outcomes that take very little prep. You can find out more about this fun title HERE.

Whirligigs are great fun for kiddos of all ages. They don’t take a lot of work to put together, they are fully customizable, and you can even use them to trick your brain!

Materials:

  • Card Stock or other sturdy paper
  • Jar or cup to make circle outlines
  • Scissors, Pen, Markers to decorate your whirligig, glue to put the pieces together, and twine or yarn for twirling.
  • Optional: Cardboard to reinforce the whirligig

Begin by using the jar to trace circles for whirligig onto the card stock. We used 2 circles for each whirligig. By gluing the front and back together you get a stronger whirligig.

Next, color your circles! I followed instruction in the book to create a little birdie and a simple cage drawing. But, my kiddos had so much fun creating different creations on their circles!

Now you will glue the front circle to the back circle. Notice that the birdie is right side up but the cage is glued upside down to the back. To make the brain teaser work, the cage has to be upside down! 😁

Note – I reinforced the birdie and cage by sandwiching a piece of cardboard in between to 2 layers of card stock. I did not reinforce the colorful whirligig, so it is only 2 pieces of card stock. Both whirligigs worked very well. However, the reinforced birdie was easier for the younger kiddos to use because it was heavier and easier to twirl.

To reinforce or not to reinforce…. that is the question… 🤣

Next, you will poke or punch 2 small holes on either side of your design. Then, cut a length of twine as long as your arm and loop the twine through the holes as shown. Finally, tie a knot to secure the 2 loose ends of the twine.

Holding the knots you will twist up the whirligig, pull taught, and watch the magic!

Want to see the birdie in action?? Check out this short clip:

Did you see it? The birdie gets caught inside the cage! How does that happen?? Lucky for me – and YOU! – the book explains the phenomenon.

“As the circle spins, your eyes see one picture after the other. The pictures come around so fast that your brain can’t separate them. Instead, it merges the two. So you see one picture – of the bird caught inside the cage.”

So fascinating!

What other creations can you make where something get “caught” inside the other design?? I cannot wait to see what you come up with!

Happy Experimenting!

DIY Pom-Pom Catapult

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#ScienceWeek continues at our house… and so does the rain…

Since we are stuck inside I needed a fun, easy to assemble, and potentially genius experiment that both of my kiddos would adore… not a small order by any means! Lucky for me – and you! – I found these incredibly cool catapults and I had all the items to assemble them on hand.

Check out all the bright fun colors! I love colorful craft sticks and we have pom-poms galore for various projects and sorting activities. Just by adding the colorful items, my 3 year old was sure to love this experiment.

Materials:

  • Craft Sticks – we used 10 all together to create 2 catapults using our basic model. But you may want more craft sticks to try out different configurations.
  • Plastic Spoons – the cheap ones with a little more flex in them work best for this experiment
  • Rubber Bands
  • Pom-Poms – we tried out various sizes but any you have on hand will work

The catapult is very simple to construct. A few stacks of craft sticks and a few rubber bands to secure and you are good to go!

Note: In each of these photos you see duplicates for each step. That is because I have 2 kids and, of course, they each needed their own catapult. However, you could easily make just one or make 5 to suit your needs!

You begin by layering 2 craft sticks together and securing with a rubber band on only one end (e.g. see the orange and purple sticks). Then you layer a stack of 3 craft sticks together and secure with rubber bands at both ends (e.g. see the blue and red craft stick stacks).

Next, you insert the stack of 3 craft sticks in between the 2 craft sticks from the 2-stick bundle. The closer the 3 stick bundle gets to the edge of the 2-stick bundle, the more leverage the catapult will have. Use a rubber band to secure the 3 craft stick bundle to the top craft stick from the 2-stick bundle.

Using a rubber band, secure the plastic spoon to the top of your catapult.

Finally, add the pom-pom, pull back, and….. LAUNCH!

We found that our catapult worked best if you placed a finger on the 2 stick bundle to hold it in place before pushing down on the spoon.

Our 6 year old was all about adjusting and reconfiguring the basic model to see what would happen. The scientific discovery – and complete focus on the activity – were so much fun to observe!

There are so many variations and adjustments that you can try during this experiment:

  • Try changing the number of crafts sticks in the 3-stick bundle. Try more sticks to give your catapult even more leverage. How far does your catapult launch an object with 7 craft sticks bundled together?
  • Try launching different items. Do marshmallows fly farther than the pom-poms? Can your catapult launch a small ball or plastic toy?
  • What happens if you move the spoon farther off the end of the catapult?

The possibilities are endless!!

Happy Experimenting!

DIY Solar Oven

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S’mores Maker

One of the benefits to living in the Sunshine State is that you don’t have to wait on the “perfect” day to harness the power of the sun. Pretty much any day will do, especially when it is June! 😎🤩

A solar oven in its simplest form harnesses the heat created when sunlight-to-heat conversion generates heat. This occurs when light waves interact with molecules moving in a substance. Its sounds all technical, right?! But it is so much fun – and simple – to do!

We have made several solar ovens in the last couple years. Last year’s model used a pizza box that we whittled and adjusted to work for the project. This year our solar oven experiment was a bit impromptu and so I didn’t have a pizza box on hand. You know what that means… time to get creative. I started searching through my cupboards and craft closet until I came up with this clear plastic shoe bin. I just knew it could work!†

Materials:

  • Box – cardboard or dark colored surface would work even better than our clear box, but we were improvising!
  • A reflective surface – we used regular aluminum foil from the kitchen
  • A piece of glass or transparent plastic to protect the food – we used plastic wrap from the kitchen again 😉
  • Tape – not pictured, but clear packing tape or Scotch tape works great
  • Craft sticks or skewers to prop open the lid
  • S’Mores ingredients, of course! 😁

Begin by covering the inside of your box with aluminum foil. I used a long sheet to wrap the incase the inside of the box. You want that light from the sun to go into the box and get trapped in there!

Then, cover the inside of the lid of the box with aluminum foil as well.

Next, assemble the ingredients for the s’mores. Again, no judging our chocolate chips 🤪 we’re improvising! Ha!

We are pretty classic in our s’mores toppings but you could easily throw a Reece’s Cup or other fun surprise on your s’more!

Once everyone is thoroughly sticky from assembling the treats – and sneaking a few nibbles of the toppings – cover the box in plastic wrap. You will want to tape the sides of the plastic wrap down to the outside of the box so it has a tight fit. This protects the food from bugs that might want a snack and also allows light to penetrate easily.

After the plastic wrap is secure you will want to prop the lid on top of the box using the craft sticks or skewers. The lid helps to reflect the sunlight onto the food to cook the s’mores.

Now for the hardest part… you have to wait for the food to cook 😂 Wait till you make your own solar oven, you will see, this really is the hardest part!

Our s’mores were melty perfection in about 60 minutes in the hot Florida sunshine ☀️

Look at these chocolate smeared faces! Absolute delight in the final product!

Happy Cooking!

DIY Sidewalk Chalk Pops

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Sidewalk chalk is virtually synonymous with summer. There is something quintessential about little hands, faces, and bodies covered in a thin sheen of sweat and chalk dust as they embellish their latest creation in the middle of the driveway.

Chalk is relatively inexpensive to buy, but I love giving my kiddos the experience of making your own. You get to choose the colors, shapes, and, in this case, even the handle!

The supplies are pretty basic, except for the Plaster of Paris. However, I was actually pleasingly surprised at how many retailers had it in stock. So I am sure you won’t have trouble locating it either!

Materials:

  • Plaster of Paris
  • Popsicle Mold – we used an old plastic popsicle mold from our outdoor play bin but a silicone mold would work even better!
  • Popsicle Sticks
  • Tempera Paint – we used what we had but neon would be even more fun!
  • Paper cups and plastic spoons
  • Cold water and measuring cups – not pictured

A few important notes:

  • Plaster of Paris should NOT under any circumstances be put down your drain! It will harden in your pipes and cause damage. That is why we are using disposable cups and spoons for this activity.
  • Cold water needs to be between 40-50 degree F. Yes, it matters. 😁 We chilled ours in a picture in the refrigerator before getting started.
  • This can be messy and you do not want Plaster of Paris dust getting spread around your interior space. I would highly recommend taking this activity outside!

You will start by getting out one paper cup for each color you are going to make. Then measure about 3 TBS of tempera paint into the bottom of the cup – I really wanted a colorful POP. Add 1/3 cup of cold water to each cup and gently stir with a plastic spoon to combine. Getting things perfect in this step is not necessary. The color blobs will smooth out in the next step 😉

Measure 2/3 cup of Plaster of Paris into each paper cup. This is where it can start to get messy. Make sure your paper cups are big enough to contain this much picture and still stir things together.

Stir until the Plaster of Paris, paint, and water mixture is thoroughly combined. Mine was a bit thicker than I anticipated but still loose enough to easily stir with a plastic spoon.

Note: Some of the colors look super dull and washed out at this point. I was honestly nervous that they would end up pastel. However, wait for the final product, they are vibrant, bold, and just the right amount of color!

Carefully spoon mixture into the mold. Obviously this is a “do as I say and not as I do” moment because my mold is definitely less than “carefully” filled 🤣 Gently tap on the work surface (aka the sidewalk) to release air bubbles.

After about 2 minutes the plaster will begin to firm up. Insert your popsicle stick into the middle of the wet chalk “pops”. They should be easy to place. You will not have to push hard or hold them up.

Note – I used the popsicles sticks that came with my mold and in hindsight I would not have done this. The little cap part creates a barrier that doesn’t allow the chalk to properly set. Using regular popsicle or craft sticks would have been a much better option.

Leave them to set in the hot sun for about an hour before carefully removing from the mold. Then leave them out in the sun to continue drying.

Look at all those bubbles I didn’t tap out. 🤣 But aren’t the colors vibrant?!

These sidewalk chalk pops actually made it 24 hours before my kids started experimenting with them. I was super impressed at the vibrant colors and the easy-to-hold popsicle handle. No more scraping knuckles on the rough concrete as you color!

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Want to know a little secret? Things do not always go as planned…. check out the zoomed out version of the photo above 👇

HA! 4 perfect chalks. 1 broken chalk. 3 missing sticks. That, my friends, is real life.

Lessons Learned: My mixture should have been a bit runnier. I should have tapped a bit more firmly to get the bubbles out. I definitely should have used regular popsicle sticks.

But you know what?! It was still super fun and I would totally do it again – with a silicone mold this time!!!

DIY sidewalk chalk pops would make amazing party favors for a summer party or birthday. You could even make them more special by layering or swirling the colors!

Happy Experimenting!

Volcano Rainbow

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AKA Bubbling Potion

Quick! It is blazing hot outside and the pool is unexpectedly CLOSED! Time for Plan B…

Oh no! What is Plan B?!?!

Does this ever happen to you?? 🙋🏼 That was totally me this morning! But, thankfully, I have my #ScienceWeek theme bin all pre-loaded with all the ingredients for tons of experiments.

I spend a little time over the weekend gathering up all the ingredients and tools for the projects we are going to tackle over the coming week. Then I tuck them all into one bin. Finally, I add a list of all the activities I just gathered necessities for and place that on top of the supplies… because, #mombrain is real. I can be SUPER EXCITED about an activity and one hour and 50 requests for snacks later say “why did I lay out those rubber bands again?”

This experiment is a classic that keeps being cool. I remember back in the 90’s we saw a fun volcano experiment in a magazine and my mom actually let us try it out. It was THE COOLEST thing! This rainbow volcano plays on that same simple vinegar and baking soda chemical reaction but it adds the fun of rainbow colors!

Ingredients:

  • Mason Jars (or glasses)
  • Baking Soda
  • Vinegar
  • Measuring spoon
  • Food Coloring (optional for the reaction, required for the rainbow fun!)

First, measure the baking soda into the glasses. We used about 2TBS in each glass jar.

Then add 5-10 drops of food coloring to each one. Note – I didn’t have regular food coloring on hand so I used gel colors. The gel has a more potent color so you need much less.

And my son just reminded me that we should have had one more jar for indigo so it wasn’t really a true rainbow after all. 🤣

Now check the book to see if you are doing it right so far… 🤣 My son is all about doing things “correctly”. He read this book in his free time a few weeks back and was so ecstatic to show me you could really make a “bubbling potion”. His excitement after just reading about the reaction was why I added this activity to our #ScienceWeek list. It is a childhood must!

Now back to the experiment…. 😉 Measure out the vinegar into an easily pourable container. We used 2 2-cup measuring cups so that each kiddo could pour at the same time. The reaction happens super quickly! You will want to pour in a line down the center of the jars rather quickly to see them all bubble up at the same time.

Check out those fun bright colors!

Of course, my kiddos were a bit disappointed that the reaction didn’t last longer… but they had a blast pouring and mixing colors before clean up time.

Also, check out the epic mess. Do yourself a favor, do not try this inside your house, unless you have the jars inside a bin to catch the overflow. No one wants to be cleaning vinegar and food coloring off your nice white rug!

This was a perfect experiment for a sunny and warm summer day! Simple prep. Easy clean up with a hose. Bright fun colors. Impressed kiddos who talked about “bubbling potions” for the rest of the day!

Happy Experimenting!