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Creating Rock Candy and Rock Crystals should be a staple in every early childhood classroom! This activity is quite fun because it can take a few days or even weeks to produce results. This may allow students to stop in and view the experiment on a regular basis. Rock Gardens can be created as well, and take quite a bit longer to create.

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Note: You can easily double and triple the above recipe. We wanted to make a rainbow of rock candy colors, so we ended up using 10 cups of water and close to 30 cups of sugar. As long as the sugar to water ratio is close to 3:1 the rock candy will grow.

Combine equal parts of sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until all of the sugar is dissolved.

Then, slowly add more sugar and mix, slowly adding more sugar and mixing until the sugar will no longer dissolve in the water.

The water should start to look a little cloudy. That is when you know that no more sugar is dissolving and the perfect sugar-saturation has been reached.

The short version is that you are creating a saturated sugar solution, or a solution in which no more sugar can dissolve at a particular temperature.

The amount of sugar verses water used should be roughly 3:1. You can easily double & triple the recipe as long as you mantain a 3:1 ratio.

Add candy flavoring if desired, and then continue to heat the water until it comes to a simmer.

Remove the sugar-water from the heat and allow it to cool.

Cut the skewers to a desirable size for the jar(s) that you are using. Then, dip the sticks in water and roll them in sugar.

Set the sugar-coated sticks aside and allow them to dry.

Once your sugar-water is cool enough pour it into jars, using one jar for each color of rock candy that you wish to make.

Once the sticks are dry carefully place them into the jar(s).

You want to make sure that the sugar-coated sticks are completely dry before placing them in the jars.

The rock candy needs the sugar on the sticks to grow, and if the sugar isn't dry it will dissolve in the water.

It is also important to make sure that the sticks are not touching the bottom or sides of the jar.

It is now time to sit back and observe the jars! Rosie and Jewel loved checking on their jars each day. This is what our rock candy looked like after just one day.

By day 5 my girls were dying to actually eat rock candy, haha. But, this was a great lesson in patience.

After a week our rock candy was almost ready! Just look at those beautiful jars!

After a week your rock candy can be removed from the jars and enjoyed.

You can extend the fun and grow your rock candy longer if desired.

Once you and the kids are ready remove the candy sticks from the jar(s), and then place them on a clean surface to dry.

Once dry you will have a yummy treat to enjoy!

The Science Behind the Rock Candy Experiment:

Eating the candy was my kids favorite part of course. They said it was, " the best candy they had ever tasted", and I am sure that is in large part due to the fact that they made it themselves!

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Note: You can easily double and triple the above recipe. We wanted to make a rainbow of rock candy colors, so we ended up using 10 cups of water and close to 30 cups of sugar. As long as the sugar to water ratio is close to 3:1 the rock candy will grow.

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This experiment allows students to see that chemical reactions can change a substance into a different substance. This activity is quite inexpensive to create, however it needs to be teacher led and teacher guided.

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Did you know you could turn milk into plastic? I didn't. I had no idea!

I did know that you can turn cream into butter, which is just what I was planning on doing with my Kindergarteners last week.

There I was armed with gallons of cream (which as it turns out was waaaay more cream than needed) when one of my lovely colleagues said, "Oh! Are you making plastic?"

I looked at her as if she were insane and said, no - this is cream.

She then smiled and said, "Oh, I thought it was milk" and started to walk away.

As if you could walk away after a sentence like that!

I quickly chased after her and got all the details on how to turn milk into plastic. Turns out - she's not insane! You really can!

And best of all - you only need to add vinegar!

Good news friends, I have worked out all the kinks, done this science experiment more than a few times (it's that awesome), and have all the details just for you!

You can turn milk into plastic in literally minutes with only milk and vinegar - and it is awesome.

First of all, take 1 cup of milk and warm it in the microwave for about 1.5 minutes (you want it hot, but not boiling)

Next, stir in 4 tablespoons of vinegar.

The milk will start to clump as the acid in the vinegar breaks down the protein in the milk. Stir for about 1 minute

Then, strain the milk through a strainer. All the clumps will stay in the strainer and really push on them to get all the liquid out.

Finally, transfer it to some paper towels and continue to press all the liquid out of the plastic milk. You can then shape it and colour it if you wish.

We used a cookie cutter and then added a few drops of food colouring (sometimes we left it white too).

We set them aside to dry for a good long while - about 2 nights - and then they were ready! Hard as could be and ready to be hung up in a window, on a door, or used to decorate a Christmas tree! (You know, if it wasn't March)

My kids just loved this science experiment, I hope yours will too!

I hope you have a lovely week friends, thank you for reading.

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Did you know you could turn milk into plastic? I didn't. I had no idea! I did know that you can turn cream into butter, which is just what I was planning on doing with my Kindergarteners last week.

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This experiment is to be set up by a teacher and then students may explore. This activity will allow students to explore and see what type of buoyancy can occur in saltwater. Additionally, students can see the role density plays in salt-water. This would be a great addition to an Ocean Unit!

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This super easy salt water experiment is the perfect kitchen science experiment to teach kids about the density of salt versus fresh water. With summer approaching and beach trips planned it's a great time to learn about how salty ocean water is different from fresh river water. At the end of this post you will find 20 more ocean-themed learning activities to do with the kids!

A Little Bit of Background
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I was so excited to learn about the ocean with my kids! There are so many fascinating animals and undiscovered areas of the ocean.

Before doing our science experiment we took some time to watch the two episodes about ocean life on Planet Earth. (If you haven't seen these AMAZING wildlife documentaries you are missing out! Check out these DVDs from the library or get them from Amazon ASAP!)

Once we had some solid background knowledge about the ocean we set up our salt water experiment. This was the first time I introduced the kids to a "controlled variable". (The thing you don't change so you can compare other things to it.) My little scientists are growing up.

Salt Water Experiment

We headed to the kitchen to gather the following items:
*Feel free to test other substances like washing soda, baking powder, sand, cornstarch, etc. It's always fun to experiment to see what happens!
Once we had our supplies gathered we followed these instructions to do our salt water experiment:

Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in one cup, 2 tablespoons of sugar in another cup, and 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a third cup. Be sure to leave one cup as plain, fresh water. (This is the controlled variable.)

Label each cup so everything stays organized.

Have the kids think about what might happen when they drop the jewels into each cup. Will the jewels sink or float?

Drop the jewels into each cup to find if the kids' guesses were correct!

*Hint: You may need to add more salt/sugar/baking soda to the water, depending on what kind of jewels or food you are using in this experiment. Add enough that you can see some extra powder on the bottom of the cup. The salt water and baking soda water should make the jewels float. Read below to find out why!
The Science of the Salt Water Experiment

When you add salt to water it makes the water more dense. This means it gets heavier. Many objects that sink in fresh water will float in salt water!

Objects float in baking soda water because baking soda is a kind of salt. It dissolves in water to make the water more dense, just like table salt does. However, baking soda has another property that gave us a little bit of a surprise!

When baking soda dissolves in water some of it reacts to form carbon dioxide gas. If you look carefully you will see tiny bubbles rising from the bottom of the cup. We must have added just the right amount of baking soda to the water because when we put the jewels in the cup they hovered right in the middle! Over time the tiny carbon dioxide bubbles attached to the plastic jewels and acted like tiny life preservers, carrying the jewels to the top of the cup. It was absolutely FASCINATING to watch that process! My son loved watching the jewels slowly rise to the surface.

Give this fun and easy science experiment a try while you learn about the ocean this year! And be sure to check out the list below for more ocean-themed activities from some of the most creative bloggers on the web.

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Salt Water Experiment | Ocean Science for Kids

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This super easy salt water experiment is the perfect kitchen science experiment to teach kids about the density of salt versus fresh water. With summer approaching and beach trips planned it's a great time to learn about how salty ocean water is different from fresh river water.

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In this activity, students will be exploring whether or not erosion can be stopped. Because erosion is a natural occurrence, it is important for students to learn whether or not it can be stopped. This experiment can be set up by the teacher and explored by students. The teacher can provide background knowledge and guided questions for this science experiment.

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Erosion. It's a natural process of the Earth that is unstoppable, right? Why not find out!

The best way to find out is to set up an experiment. I set up my classroom with two different stations. One station represented a beach scene with houses that live along the beach and endure the waves daily, along with blowing sand.

The second station I created were houses along side of a river on a hill. Do any of these houses have to worry about erosion and potential destruction? We discussed it. I demonstrated it. I poured water down the river and splashed water up on the beach.

The students quickly saw that eventually over time, the water would
carry away the sand and the surrounding land. So what were we to do?
How could we stop it?

I broke students up into groups and gave them their task. They were now engineers that needed to see if they could solve this problem. They had to come up with a plan and buy materials to correct the problem. Of course, as in the real world, it still needed to be attractive. I mean, someone just paid a ton of money to have their house on the beach and they are NOT going to want to have it all ruined with erosion stopping grossness!

I provided fake grass and other plastic plants. I provided Popsicle sticks, more houses, and other materials that I thought they might use to stop erosion. I had given each group just $500 for their project and my materials were not cheap.

After students had put their plan in action, I tested them out. I poured water down the river to see if there would be erosion still. I splashed water up on the beach to see if the sand would continue to be eroded away. (You could even take a hair dryer on low and see if they could stop wind erosion - Just have everyone wear safety glasses.) So what happened? Did they stop erosion?

Of course not. We can slow down erosion, but we really can't stop it. This is a lesson students learned quickly. After all the light bulbs lit up in their minds, we reflected and debriefed. Erosion just can't be stopped.

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Erosion. It's a natural process of the Earth that is unstoppable, right? Why not find out! The best way to find out is to set up an experiment. I set up my classroom with two different stations. One station represented a beach scene with houses that live along the beach...

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In this activity, students will be able to place their hand into a bucket full of ice water. Never fear! Students will not be cold in this experiment. Their hand will be nice and warm because of the animal blubber replica that is being demonstrated. Students will be exploring why this type of animal protection is helpful and essential to animal survival.

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Whale Blubber Experiment | HST Life Science Project

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Learn how whales and other animals stay warm in cold temperatures and water with HST's Whale Blubber Experiment! Try out this easy, fun activity at home.

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This science demonstration is best for young students, but can be done in older classrooms as well. This can be started outside or inside. Young students may be wondering how leaves get water, and this exploratory type of demonstration can allow students to create hypothesizes about how this natural occurrence may happen.

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How Does a Leaf Get Water (Learn Play Imagine)

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Kindergarten Leaf Unit Study During our leaf unit study for My Father's World Kindergarten I set up a simple science demonstration to teach J-Bug how a leaf gets water. We did this same demo back w

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Animals molt on a regular basis. A wide variety of animals need to molt in order to grow. This concept can be quite foreign to some students, and students need to become familiar with this idea. Personally, I would love to have real animals in the classroom, and I am not afraid of snakes. However, not everyone feels the same way. Because of this, a science demonstration that allows students to explore what molting looks and feels like may be quite beneficial. I would allow students to help plastic animals 'molt' by peeling off layers of Elmer's glue

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nakes, lizards, and bugs shed their skin / exoskeleton, when they grow and molt. Spread glue on one of your hands and let dry. "Slowly peel dried glue off and discuss the different insects and reptiles that shed or molt."

For more bug experiments, activities, teaching ideas, and even recipes, visit

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nakes, lizards, and bugs shed their skin / exoskeleton, when they grow and molt. Spread glue on one of your hands and let dry. "Slowly peel dried glue off and discuss the different insects and reptiles that shed or molt."

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Fall Leaf Science: Exploring Colors & Chlorophyll

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Fall Leaf Science: Exploring Colors & Chlorophyll

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This activity allows students to learn about how chlorophyll plays an important part in nature. I would allow students to choose their own leaves, and in an older classroom, students may even begin to be interested in why different types of trees change colors earlier in the week. Personally, I love fall and I think that students will be interested in this experiment!

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After exploring and Learning About the Parts of Leaves we decided to learn about leaf color and chlorophyll with an easy science experiment. I found the idea to extract chlorophyll from leaves on Home Science Tools. I thought that it sounded simple enough we could give it a try with a few modifications. I am so glad we did because the results are beautiful and it helped my kids see and better understand the role chlorophyll plays with changing leaf colors.

Before you start this activity the first thing is to go and enjoy the outdoors and gather up some fall leaves. The kids and I feel so lucky to live close to mountains that are ablaze with the beautiful fall colors-one of my favorite times of the year! We went on a little hike, gathered leaves, and other nature treasures and headed home to be scientists.

Fall Leaf Science Experiment

Pot of boiling water (adults only)

Different colored leaves (We used a green, green & red, yellow, and brown leaves)

1. Place leaves in a boiling pot of water for 5 minutes. While they are boiling, fill up small containers with rubbing alcohol.

2. When the five minutes are up, use the tongs to remove the leaves and place each one in the rubbing alcohol making sure to sort by color if you are using multiple leaves.

3. Observe what color the alcohol is. Come back throughout the day and check to see if the alcohol has changed color. We let our experiment sit overnight and in the morning the colors were even darker but the second night resulted in no change.

4. Discuss experiment and compare differences between the containers. We recently continued our learning with a STEAM Coffee Filter Art Activity to make Fall Leaves that would be a perfect addition to this activity.

See More Ideas: Click Photo Below!

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Easy Fall Leaf Science Experiment: Exploring Colors & Chlorophyll with Kids -

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After exploring and Learning About the Parts of Leaves we decided to learn about leaf color and chlorophyll with an easy science experiment. I found the idea to extract chlorophyll from leaves on Home Science Tools. I thought that it sounded simple enough we could give it a try with a few modifications.

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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/569001734162668655/
This activity will allow students to see the way sound can cause vibrations in the air. This is an excellent way of showing how sound works. After this activity, students may be interested in seeing how different sounds can be made. I would allow students to choose different types of music to play, and would encourage them to investigate and record different types of sound and it's affect.

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This teacher-lead activity can be used to teach the importance of using soap. A teacher could do this experiment at small group science centers and have students write predictions about what they think is happening. I would probably use this in lower elementary classrooms, but would not be opposed to scaffolding this activity to meet other students needs.

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Make Germs Scatter Science Demonstration

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Kids will be amazed at this simple science demonstration that shows how using soap when washing hands literally makes "germs" scatter.