Activity
Candy corn science experiment
Try this accessible version of the classic candy corn science experiment!
Fall in love with this science experiment! did you know that candy corn’s traditional colors of yellow, orange and white represent the colors of the fall harvest? Candy corns were created to resemble corn kernels, with the wide yellow end.
Materials
- Candy Corn
- 3 clear plastic cups
- Warm water
- 7-Up or Sprite
- Oil
- Measuring cup (3/4 cup works well)
- Timer
- 3 index cards with the labels: Warm water, soda and oil
Students will write down their predictions on paper or using technology, and each student will draw what happens to the candy corn in each cup. Braille students can use a tactile drawing tool such as the Sensational Blackboard. Students with vision can use a colored pencil.
Note: If doing this as a class project, each table or small group can perform the experiment, requiring multiple material kits. If a blind student is doing the activity, he/she should have his own set of cups and experiment, allowing the student to physically touch the candy corn when the timer goes off.
Vocabulary
- Dissolve: Place an item into something wet, and the solid item breaks apart or disappears
- Chemical reaction: Mix two things together and something new is made
Prediction
Ask each student to predict what will happen when a candy corn is placed in warm water, soda and oil.
Have the student write his/her predictions. If the class has emerging writers, the teacher can write down the class predictions. If the students are writers, each student should write down his/her predictions.
Which liquid will dissolves the candy corn first? If the young student is an emerging writer, have the student copy – in the predicted order – the three liquids in a number listed.
Procedure
Step 1: Measure and fill clear cups with each liquid: warm water, clear soda and oil.
Step 2: Place one piece of candy in each cup and start the timer for 5 minutes. Observe what happens.
Step 3: Discuss and then write down the observations.
If a student is not able to see the candy corn, allow that student to gently touch the candy corn in each cup without stirring the liquid or squeezing the candy corn. The student should wipe his/her finger on a paper towel after touching each candy corn.
Step 4: Set the timer for 10 minutes. Discuss and write down the observations after 10 minutes.
If desired, leave the experiment for 30 minutes and then discuss again.
Note: It may take 15 minutes or more to dissolve a candy corn.
If desired, have some of the class use Peep candy (both pumpkins and ghosts) instead of candy corns, or double the amount of cups with liquids and observe both candy corns and Peeps!
Record the results
For emerging readers, ask the student to draw the results of each liquid using colored pencils or using a tactile drawing tool. Use the Candy Cane Results page, that has three boxes, each box has a picture of a cup with a water line. This worksheet can be run through a PIAF or Swell machine or manually adapted using colorful graphic art tape.
Each student who is writing should maintain a journal that includes the student’s predictions, and the student’s observations at 5 minutes, 15 minutes and 30 minutes.
Older students can do internet searches to discover the science behind the chemical reactions. chemical reactions.
Science of dissolving candy corn
Candy corn is mostly made of sugar, corn syrup, food coloring and binders.
Candy corn dissolves in water because water effectively breaks apart the sugar molecules in the candy. Both water and sugar are polar molecules. When candy corn is added to water, the water molecules surround the sugar molecules and pull them away from each other, causing the candy to dissolve, starting with the food coloring.
In warm water, the higher temperature increases the movement of water molecules. This energetic movement allows the water molecules to interact with the sugar molecules in the candy corn more quickly, resulting in faster dissolving.
In cold water, the lower temperature means the water molecules move more slowly, leading to slower interactions with the sugar molecules and thus a slower dissolving process.
Oil, unlike water, is a non-polar substance. No significant attraction exists between the non-polar oil molecules and the polar sugar molecules in candy corn. As a result, oil cannot break apart the sugar crystals, and candy corn does not dissolve in oil.
Polar substances, like the sugar in candy corn, dissolve in polar solvents like water, but not in nonpolar solvents like oil.
Soda contains carbon dioxide gas, which makes the soda fizzy. When the chemical in the soda and the chemicals in the candy mis together, causing the candy corn to break apart. The part floating on top is in the confectioner’s glaze – the waxy layer on the outside of the candy corn.
By Diane Brauner
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