Easy Christmas Science Experiment with Candy Canes

What happens when I tell my kids that we are going to do a Christmas science experiment? They start out by listening to my idea. They usually nod and tell me what a great idea it is. Then they take my entire plan and toss it out the window… of course.

I bought candy canes with the intention of melting them in the oven, sounds fun right?!?! These candy canes didn’t make it that far and boy am I glad. M and M’s Christmas science experiment was way cooler (and easier) than mine would have been. We like cool and we like easy. So there you have it win – win.

For another easy Christmas activity, check out this felt Christmas tree tutorial.

Candy Cane Christmas Science Experiment

All you need for this easy science experiment  is six candy canes and three cups of water. (Make sure the cups are see through, you want to be able to see what’s happening inside.)

Big M filled one cup with water and added ice. Little M filled one cup with room temperature water. I filled one cup with boiling water.

We dropped two broken up candy canes into each cup and then sat back and watched. (PS Those adorable earmuffs are just for looks, I promise our house isn’t freezing. 🙂 )

Tips for Christmas science fun:

• Talk about what you and your little one think will happen. (After the experiment talk about how close your guesses were to what actually happened.)
• Ask questions about the similarities and differences in the cups.
• Leave the cups out for an hour to see what happens.
• How could you modify this experiment? Ask your kids… I bet they have a great idea!

Did you like this easy Christmas science experiment? You just might love these everyday experiments (they’re just as easy!)

Rainy Day Science
Back yard Volcano
All about me – Bones Book

This post originally appeared December 10, 2013.