Fifth graders at Belmont Elementary School paired up with their third grade buddies for hands-on STEM experiments with candy canes throughout the week of Dec. 18.
During the five days of candy cane science experiments, the students worked together to make observations and hypothesize on what would happen to their candy canes. For the first experiment, students were given a cup of water and had to predict if the candy cane would sink or float. Next, the young scientists were given three cups of water – hot, cold and room temperature – to predict which temperature would make the candy canes dissolve the quickest.
For their third experiment, students were given three different types of candy canes of different colors and flavors to predict if they would all dissolve at the same rate. Next, students were given six different types of liquid – water, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar water, cooking oil and clear soda – and hypothesized which would dissolve first. They also experimented with the round peppermint candies and candy canes to see if they would react the same.
To close out the week, students tested their science knowledge to see if they could make a candy cane fizz and erupt. They used vinegar and baking soda as they watched their experiments come to life. They also taste tested different kinds of candy canes and recorded how they looked, smelled and tasted.
