Candy Experiments
By Loralea Leavitt
From Andrews McMeel Publishing
“Blow it up, Melt it into bubbling
puddles, Find secret ingredients”
Loralea Leavitt has come up with a tremendously fun book for
teachers who want to keep middle school students engaged while they are
explaining some basic science.
Using candy to explain density, crystals, expansion and contraction, and
other basic concepts makes science fun and memorable for students and may even
encourage them to continue exploring on their own.
The book is divided up into sections with headings followed by
experiments and explanations for the science behind the experiments. The first heading is Secret Ingredients and includes an
experiment using Pop Rocks to find the ingredients that make the “pop”, experiments
for finding oil in candy, an experiment to find out what makes candy sour, and
an experiment to find hidden candy (sugar), among others. The second heading, Color includes an
experiment playing with candy color to make color separations, and an
experiment on how to make a “rainbow in a straw”. This is the largest section
for density experiments and includes one of my favorites in the entire book, a
Skittles rainbow in a bowl! The
third heading, Sink and Float, also includes density experiments through
floating and sinking candy. There
is even an experiment where you can float the letters right off of M&M’s!
There is not a kid alive who doesn’t love the fourth section heading
– Blow It Up! The section is filled with all sorts of experiments that demonstrate
expansion and contraction. From exploring
the compression of air bubbles in marshmallows with a vacuum tube to the now
infamous Mentos soda fountain, there are experiments to delight one and all. Section five, Squash It, explores the
different textures of various sugars, through stretching, twisting, and
breaking candy. My favorite experiment
is the LifeSaver lights! Following
through on the texture theme, Section six, Hot and Cold explores the effects of
temperature on candy. Section seven, Dissolve This, contains experiments
that answer the question: “Why does some candy dissolve faster than other candy?” Section eight, Crystals, is all about the
magical world of crystal making from different varieties of sugar. On e thing I like about this section that
is different from other books on crystals is that it asks a question about corn
syrup and whether or not it makes crystals and includes an experiment for students
to find the answer. Finally, the
book ends with a section heading Sticky.
What makes candy sticky?
I found this to be a wonderful resource book with excellent full-color
photographs. The instructions for
the experiments are simple and easily integrated into any lesson plan and the simple
science explanations are also easily adapted to school science curriculum.
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