Most likely, you’ve tasted the irresistible, minty flavor of candy canes. But did you know you can use candy canes for hands-on science experiments? So, instead of eating your candy canes, try these fun and educational experiments created for all young scientists.
If you love science experiments, you’ll love creating three of the coolest candy cane experiments you’ve ever seen.
Candy Cane Slime
This is a wonderful sensory experiment. Kids love the gooey, squishy candy cane slime to squash between their hands.
Supplies Needed:
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Candy Canes
- Large Bowl
Experiment Steps:
- Break four candy canes into pieces.
- Place the broken candy canes into your bowl.
- Add one cup of cornstarch to the candy canes.
- Add one cup of water. (Add more water if it’s too stiff.)
- Use your hands to mix up the slime.
As you squish the cornstarch and candy canes together, your slime will change color from white to pink. This oozy experiment shows you how the cornstarch molecules move past each other when they’re wet. Then the slime seeps through your fingers as you squeeze the cornstarch and candy cane mixture together.
Tie Candy Canes Into Knots
This is a fun, hands-on science experiment. You literally get to use your hands to tie your candy canes into knots or bows. This experiment requires you to use the oven and work with hot candy canes. Here’s how you do it.
Supplies Needed:
- Candy canes (large ones work the best)
- Parchment paper or waxed paper
- Cookie sheet
- Oven
- Oven Gloves
Experiment Steps:
- Heat the oven to 250°F.
- Line your cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
- Set your candy canes on the cookie sheet.
- Heat them in the oven for about 4 minutes.
- Put on the oven gloves (the candy canes will be hot).
- Twist and bend them into a knot, bow or any other shape you want.
The reason you can bend the warm candy canes is because the sugar crystals become weak when heated. This lets you bend and shape the candy cane. When they cool, the sugar crystals harden again into the new shape you made.
Transform from Solid to Liquid
See how long it takes your candy canes to change from solids to liquids. Make sure you record your predictions and findings.
Supplied Needed:
- Experiment notebook
- Candy canes
- 3 glass bowls or beakers
- Water
- Stopwatch
Experiment Steps:
- Fill one glass container with cold water, one with warm water and one with hot water.
- Write your predictions in your notebook about which water temperature dissolves your candy canes the fastest. Explain why you think your theories are correct.
- Place a candy cane into each glass container.
- Set your stopwatch and write the start time in your notebook.
- Observe your candy canes and make notes of any changes you see.
- Record the time it takes for the candy canes to dissolve in cold, warm and hot water.
Were your scientific predictions correct? Did you see any bubbles? Which part of the candy cane disappeared the quickest? Did you notice your candy cane twisting as it dissolved? If you did, this is because the molecules in the candy cane start moving as it melts. You can also try this experiment with different liquids, such as vinegar, soda water or juice.
