Make Your Own Rock Candy
Keep the kids entertained with a fun and tasty science experiment. It’s a great way to teach the little ones about the crystallization process that eventually turns into a sweet treat. Let them get creative with colours and watch their knowledge grow with this great project.
You’ll Need
- Funnel
- Glass Jars
- Clothespins
- Large Pot
- Skewers
- Sugar – lots of sugar!
- Water
- Food Colouring
- Flavouring Optional
Instructions
- Trim down your skewers to a reasonable size to fit in whatever jars or cups that you will be using. You’ll also want to get rid of the point. Dip them in water, then roll in sugar.
- Let the sticks dry completely and set aside. This will give the sugar a base (something to stick to when it starts to crystallize).
- Heat the water in a pot on med-high heat. When it simmers begin adding sugar – for every one cup of water add 3 cups of sugar. It will get to a point where it takes quite a bit of stirring to get the sugar to dissolve. Remove from heat.
- Pour/spoon the syrup into your jars using a funnel to catch spills. Add food colouring and flavourings to each jar.
- Allow the syrup in the jars to cool down a bit. Warm or room temperature. Attach a clothespin to each skewer that you dipped in sugar at the beginning and place in the jar- make sure the ends of the skewers are not too close to the bottom of the jar or your rock candy can break.
- Place your jars in a safe location and watch the crystals grow! You can remove the skewers from the jars after 7 days (or leave rock candy to grow longer)