A Tasty Science Experiment – DIY Dissolving Skittles Rainbow
Here’s a free DIY STEM activity that is easy to do and pretty quick. At 18 / 25 points, if you’re looking for a fun indoor activity that uses up some of your extra Halloween candy and shows your kids that certain ingredients are prone to dissolve in water, try the DIY Dissolving Skittles Rainbow. Shout out to Little Bins for Little Hands for the idea!
What: DIY Dissolving Skittles Rainbow
Rating (out of 25): At 18 Points, the rating is Do IT if you’re short of time because it only takes 10 minutes! (Fun = 3 + Confidence & Curiosity = 4 + STEM Aligned = 4, + Time Value = 2, + Cost = 5
Cost: Free (if you have the materials)
Age: 3+ (adult supervision recommended as candy can be consumed)
Supplies:
A plate or container – preferably white
Skittles or other coated candy will work too
Water
Instructions:
Empty out your Skittles and check out the colours.
Place your Skittles or candy into a white container.
Try to alternate the colours and make patterns.
Make predictions and develop a hypothesis about what will happen when you add water. This is a great introduction into the Scientific Method.
Carefully pour water into the middle of the plate until it reaches all the candies and just barely covers them. If the Skittles move, just push them back into place quickly.
Watch what happens. Could this Skittles science experiment work with another type of candy? What would happen if you tried a different liquid and compared the results?
Check out our video on Facebook by clicking HERE.
STEM Lesson: Water dissolves the ingredients in the Skittles. Different candies dissolve at different rates. Why don’t the colours mix right away? Our word of the day is … stratification, which allows different water masses with different properties to keep the colours in tact.