Drop a Warhead in baking soda water, and bubbles erupt. Leave a Skittle in water, and the S floats to the surface. Melt a Starburst, and shiny oil spots form. That’s right, next week is Halloween which means – All Candy. All Science. All FUN!
Candy experiments are a great way to use up all of that candy & still enjoy all the sweetness Halloween has to offer. Why not play with your candy? Any seasoned trick or treater knows that his loot is full of candy that brings lots of unwrapping and stirring and sticking things together – it’s one of the important parts of the trick or treating experience. We love candy experiments because they can teach basic science lessons about topics such as density, dissolving, and nutrition. Listed below are just a few ideas to get started. Have fun, and as always, let curiosity be your guide!
Here’s A Few of our Favorite!
Acid Test: This experiment tests for the acid often found in sour candy.
Chocolate Bloom: Chocolate is made of cocoa butter, cocoa solids, and other ingredients that have been mixed together. Can you take them apart?
Color Separation (Chromatography): You know candy is colored with artificial dye. To see the different dyes for yourself, try this.
Density Rainbow: Sugar water is denser than water—the more sugar, the denser. This experiment shows you how to layer different densities into a rainbow.
Dissolving Hot/Cold: See if candy dissolves faster in hot or cold water.
Hidden Candy: Most candy is made from sugar, corn syrup, and flavorings. These ingredients are used to sweeten lots of different foods. Can you find the “hidden candy” in other varieties of food you eat?
Lifesaver Lights: Do wintergreen Lifesavers really make a spark in the dark?
Sink/Float Most: candy sinks in water, because sugar is denser than water. But some will float. Why?
Oil Test: If you thought your candy was all sugar, think again. Many chewy candies also contain oil. This experiment uses heat to let you see the oil for yourself.
Pop Rocks: What’s the secret ingredient in the candy that crackles?
Sticky You: know candy can cling to your fingers—but how sticky can you make it?
For step-by-step instructions and more information about these experiments, visit www.candyexperiments.com.
The fun doesn’t stop there! Check out these additional resources on ways to make your Halloween scientifically spooky!
- No time to pick up something sweet? No worries, you can Make Your Own Halloween Candy!
- 10 Spooky Science Experiments for Halloween!