• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning

candy experiments: playing with color

home / science / science experiments for kids / candy experiments: playing with color
215 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

It’s been a busy few weeks for us, between school, sports, Blogalicious, Halloween, and my parents coming down to spend time with the kids while I attended the NAEYC conference this past week.

But when I returned Saturday night to a clean house and happy kids (Nanny and Pap ROCK!), we had all day Sunday to hang out, catch up, put Halloween decorations away, and play . . . with candy.play with candy and color

Though I wish that the mounds of Halloween candy had disappeared while I was away, it was here and in piles.  Actually it was here and in three big orange pumpkins. So before we froze what we’ll use for holiday cookies and gave a lot of it away, we had to play with it a bit.

I knew that last year we didn’t tackle the color separation Candy Experiment properly. I didn’t really read the directions on my pal Loralee’s Candy Experiments site like I should have because I think I was more excited to play with the sweet stuff than I was to actually learn about chromatography in candy.

So that’s where we began yesterday–the color separation experiment, 2.0.

Here’s the skinny:

Candy Experiments–Playing with Color:

Maddy, Cora, and I were the primary experimenters because Owen went to hit golf balls with his dad.  So the girls and I cleared our workspace, gathered our supplies, and got rolling.

 Maddy and Cora unwrap and organize candy, according to color.

play with candy and color

I said to the girls, Okay, we have so much candy here.  Let’s do some experimenting with candy like we did last year, what do you say?

They were totally game, as long as they could eat a little along the way. I agreed (because I wanted to eat some, too).

So the experiment we can start with will focus on colors.  Let’s hunt for all of the brightly colored candy we can find–the Skittles, M & M’s, lollipops, you name it. Then unwrap them and put them in piles by color.   We had no Skittles (total surprise!), but we had plenty of other candies that would work.

After we sorted the candies by color, we used our fancy-schmancy new droppers (thanks to the market at Discount School Supplies at the NAEYC exhibit hall!) to add a few drops of water to each candy so that the color would drain.

Then I cut rectangles out of coffee filters and labeled each one according to the color we would be working with.

 I held the paper while Maddy dabbed yellow onto the coffee filter.

I said, You know how you’ve learned that in order to create colors–like green, purple, and orange–you have to mix colors together? Well I think that with this experiment, we’ll be able to see exactly what colors the candy makers use to make candy colors. 

By making the candy wet, we’re dissolving the color. And when we put drops of the color on this little piece of paper and add a bit of water to it, the colors will magically separate. It’s called chromatography. 

After some time, the brown did separate (see the blue around the edges?), but not like we had hoped.

Once each paper was dabbed with color, I put a tiny bit of water into a glass, allowing the paper to absorb the water which would (I think) cause the colors to separate.  It took a long, long time for anything to really happen, so while we waited, we thought hard about other foods that had bright colors–other things we could try pulling out colors.

We use the kids’ yogurt–the Yoplait that comes in the tiny cups and is bright colors like nothing found in nature.  Maddy also thought of using fruit snacks, so we used them, too.  We dabbed the yogurt onto the papers and pulled color out of the fruit snacks with water.

Cora uses her dropper to transfer pink yogurt onto the coffee paper.

And then we waited.play with candy and color

And waited and waited and waited.

Maddy and Cora were crazy-excited to use the little droppers, so after we set up the experiment, they colored and colored and colored. Much like our candy painting last year, this was by far their favorite part.

And then Owen came home and wanted to get in on the action, so as he tried his hand at separating colors, I noticed that the coffee filters that Maddy and Cora had ‘decorated’ and that we set over the glasses had already begun to separate–perhaps because they were drying?

So Owen and I pulled all of the papers out of the water glasses and put them on a drying rack. And as the colors dried, they separated slightly. And the ‘candy masterpieces’ they created looked more beautiful as they dried as well.

What did we learn from this candy experiment 2.0?  Before dinner, and as we revisited our colors, Maddy noticed that the yogurt colors and the fruit snack colors did not separate at all but that the browns of the M & M’s did the best job of separating.

Owen found that the brown was actually a lot of blue and orange, and that they must have mixed them together to make the brown M & M.

Our experiment–waiting for colors to separate.

Colors on the drying rack. . . waiting to separate.

play with candy and color And that was it. It was a really, really cool next step for us, as far as candy experimenting goes, but I do wish I would have done a few things differently:

  • I wish we would have used Skittles or Nerds as well;
  • I wish we would have placed the candy on the plate, then added a few drops of water and then waited longer so the color would have really pulled from the candy;
  • I wish I would have placed the coffee filter in water, allowed the paper to absorb the water, and then immediately placed the paper on the drying rack;
  • I wish we would have tried other foods;
  • I wish I totally understood this whole process so I could have explained it better and perhaps have more clearly set the kids up for success in seeing actual color separation.

It was fun–don’t get me wrong!–and I’m not wishing this experience away. I just know that next time, we’ll do a few things differently!

Many thanks again to Loralee of Candy Experiments for coming up with these ideas, and my apologies to her if I totally was off-track with any information here.

If you are in the DC area this spring, and you want to help Loralee out with her booth at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in April, please let her know! I’ll certainly be there, as the Science and Engineering Fest is an incredibly fun family event!

Happy experimenting!

Want a few more fun, foodie-science ideas?

Check out:

  • candy experiments, play with color
  • paint with candy
  • candy cane experiments, 2.0
  • learn with food
  • get kids to try new foods
  • fractions with food
  • chocolate math
  • monster sandwiches

You May Also Like...

  • halloween giving: how to BOO! your friends (on a budget)
    halloween giving: how to BOO! your friends (on a budget)
  • halloween class party: 10 quickie activities for that extra 10 minutes
    halloween class party: 10 quickie activities for that extra 10 minutes
  • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro · http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post: « http://teachmama.com/5-ways-parents-can-show-thanks-teachers-schools/ how to use halloween candy for (sneaky) fun learning
Next Post: math bingo: fun ways to play with numbers »

Sidebar

our books & freebies

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader
amy mascott profile blog
subscribe teachmama

join the coolest club around:

Find Us On Social Media

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
Hot off the presses!

I've been working CRAZY hours because I'm prepping for a launch in the next two weeks. G U L P!

I'm SUPER excited, and I know you will be too.

Read more here: https://take5.teachmama.com/

#linkinbio #teachmamatake5 #bestoftheweb #take5 #coolestclubintown
View
Open
Loving my new St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 tee and eyeing about 5 others I totally want!

Remember—the more we can get our kids reading, the better! 

So find a fun and festive shirt for everyone in the fam and teach kids phrases like: 

🍀 Saint Patrick’s Day sparks JOY

☘️ Happy Go Lucky

🍀 Team Irish

☘️ Lucky Charm

🍀 Irish I was a little bit taller

☘️ Here for the shenanigans 

🍀 Lucky mama

☘️ A wee bit Irish 

and more!

Right now on Zulily you can grab tees, hoodies, dresses, pj sets, tank tops, slouchy tees, sweatshirts, sweatpants, and more starting at under $20!

Check them out: zulily.gfpv.net/rnegED

#stpatricksdaydecor #linkinbio #saintpaddysday #familyfun🍀 #irishkids #zulilypartner #raiseareader
View
Open
If you have not yet met the Buddha Board, today is your lucky day.

The Buddha Board is the ideal way to help kids find focus and to relax, and honestly every family could use one.

I would do anything some days to bring a little big of peace and calm–and zen–to our home. 

With a Buddha Board always out on a shelf, we are always just minutes away from unplugged focus and relaxation.

Have you tried one? 

Here are the deets:
https://teachmama.com/help-kids-focus-and-relax-with-the-buddha-board/

#linkinbio #buddhaboard #calmyourmind #mindfulmoments #unplugged
View
Open
Doesn’t it seem like time has become a crazy mashup of virtual-hybrid-normal-life, scattered with the *occasional* bright spot—with an overload of disappointment, confusion, and uncertainty? Like it’s hard to pinpoint what happened exactly last spring or the summer before last or even last fall?

It’s all kind of a jumbled mess?

It feels like that for me. 

But I know this for sure: spending time with these women is truly good for my soul. It’s what my heart needs. Time slows down. I can breathe. 

And it’s what I’m betting everyone needs right now—some time with good friends—sister bffs—friends like family. 

No matter what is going on in the world, these women ground me, help me feel more centered, and fill my heart with so. much. joy. 

I walked Louie this morning with what felt like lighter steps and a bigger smile on my face, and I know it’s because I spent time with beloved friends last night. 

Friends, listen to me: It’s EASY to want to hole up right now and not do much of anything—it’s dark by 5pm, it’s freezing out, it’s grey and gross outside, and we are all so tired. But one night this week or next, call a pal. 

Make plans for coffee or a meal together, and just RECONNECT with some friends. Put on a little lipstick. Dust off that bottle of perfume. Wear a big sweater over a tee shirt and leggings and put on fun earrings. It’s not that hard, but it makes a difference. 

I guarantee it will be exactly what you need and you will move forward the next few days with a brighter spirit. 

Love you, @jessicamcfadd @justicefergie and @sandie_chen so, so, SO MUCH. And love Evie too!! 

Let’s get another date on the calendar stat. 😉😍

(Of COURSE we made beautiful @eve.mcfadden pose with us last night after her dance class because we are her bloggy aunties and have known her since she was 2yo and we love her like our own.)

#wwh #bff4life #ogbloggers #sisterfriends
View
Open
Thank you @delegateericluedtke @senzucker @delegatepamqueen for meeting with Maryland @MomsDemand volunteers to discuss how we can work together to end gun violence in our communities. 

JOIN US at our next event by texting READY to 644-33 to get involved in your community!

#MDGA22 #MDpolitics #MomsAreEverywhere #DoSomething #SaySomething #BeTheChange
View
Open
As a @MomsDemand volunteer, I just met virtually with my #MDGA22 legislators to work to keep our state safe from gun violence. 

I told @delegateericluedtke @senzucker @delegatepamqueen that:

- In 1999, I was teaching English at Wilde Lake HS in Columbia, MD when the Columbine HS massacre took place. I vowed then that I would do everything I could to prevent something like that from happening again. I thought: There is NO WAY this will happen when I have children in school. Laws will change. Surely we will protect our children better.

- In 2007, I had just had my 3rd child, and a month later, the VA Tech shooting took place. I watched the news in horror and thought, please, please, PLEASE let smart people make laws to prevent this from ever happening again. PLEASE. 

- In 2012, I had three kids in elementary school--K, 1st, and 3rd grade, and my husband was an admin at a different school. That same year, 20 children and 6 adults were shot and killed at Sandy Hook ES. I joined @sandyhookpromise as soon as it was created. I thought: THIS will be the last one. No more senseless, preventable deaths.

- In 2022, just last week, at Magruder HS, where I once taught English and where my husband coached soccer, there was another shooting. This time with a ghost gun. Every day, I send my 3 children off to high school 10 minutes down the road from Magruder HS, and every day, I plead, pray, and beg God to keep them safe. 

They should not fear for their lives when they walk into school each day, nor should ANY child, any teacher, any administrator, or support staff. Schools should be safe places.

Today, we asked #Maryland lawmakers to prioritize legislation to prohibit the manufacture & sale of ghost guns: do-it-yourself weapons that can be downloaded or purchased online, bypassing the background check system that keeps us all safe. 

Please do the same. Join your local @momsdemand or @studentsdemand 

#UseYourVoice #DoSomething
#MDpolitics #MomsAreEverywhere
View
Open
Although I can’t be in Annapolis today, this Maryland @MomsDemand volunteer stands with those there in urging my legislators to protect our state from ghost guns. #MomsAreEverywhere #MDGA22 #MDpolitics

Want to get involved? 

❤️ visit momsdemandaction.org

❤️ share ANY and ALL @momsdemand @studentsdemand or @everytown posts

❤️ share any and all #MDGA22 #MDpolitics posts 

❤️ join this movement and make a difference!

#DoSomething #SaySomething #BeTheChange #EndGunViolence
View
Open
🔥 Hot off the presses 🔥

Take 5: here's what happened to me, and here's where we're going. . .

Excited about big things happening over here in 2022. 

Things may look a little different as we release and share, but if you want to stay ‘in the know’, subscribe here: https://take5.teachmama.com/

#herewego #thescoop #herearethedeets #linkinbio
View
Open
Time for your New Year’s Family Interview! 

If you haven’t done it yet, it’s OKAY. We are all feeing a little bit behind already this year. 

Be good to yourself. 

Love your people well. 

Head over and grab your *new and improved* New Year’s Family Interviews here: https://shop.teachmama.com/product/new-years-family-interview/

#newyearinterview #familyfun #easytraditions #linkinbio

Copyright © 2022 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 6
215 shares