E is for Experiments With Candy Hearts

We had several bags of candy hearts leftover from the last two Valentine's Day celebrations. We decided to utilize those candy hearts in an experiment this year. We found printables available for FREE (at this time) from Curriculum Castle at Teachers Pay Teachers. You can create a FREE TpT account and search for freebies.

Sink or Float Experiment
First, we completed the sink or float experiment. Alyssa poured a 1/2 cup of water in a plastic cup. Then, she made observations and predictions about what would happen if she added a candy heart to the cup. Would it sink or float in the water? Why? Next, she observed what happened after the candy hearts were dropped into the water and drew her observations. She recorded and confirmed her predictions. The candy heart sank to bottom of the cup, because it was denser than the water. We also discussed the amount of air that could be trapped in the candy heart. If there was a lot of air trapped inside the candy, then the possibility of it floating to the top would have been greater. This was a fun Valentine's Day review activity!

Dissolving Candy Heart Experiment
The next experiment was a dissolving activity. We discussed the meaning of the term "dissolved." Alyssa filled four plastic cups (all the same size) with four different liquids. The liquids we used were water, white vinegar, Lemon-Lime Twist soda, and Canola oil. She labeled the liquids on strips of paper to place in front of each cup. She predicted which liquid would dissolve the candy heart the fastest and slowest. Then, she explained her reasoning for her predictions. Two candy hearts were placed in each cup. Alyssa made a few immediate observations. Then, she waited at least 20 minutes before recording her final observations. She confirmed that the type of liquid DID matter when dissolving candy hearts. Her observations proved that vinegar was an acidic liquid and dissolved slightly faster than the soda. The candy heart in the soda dissolved faster than the water and the heart in the cup of oil dissolved the slowest.

Setting Up the Experiment

Candy Heart Observations

Drew Oil Observations on the Back

I hope you enjoyed your visit today. Give these experiments a try and use up those leftover bags of candy hearts. Have a great day!

I will link this post up at A Net in Time and Hopkins Homeschool's Blogging Through the Alphabet Linky. Come check out the Letter E posts this week!