One of the best ways to not stress during the Christmas holidays is to tie the theme of Christmas into homeschool subject areas. A fun way for your kids to learn Science is with our Christmas Science experiments.
Choose at least one experiment to do each week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Go buy the supplies right now, so you have everything on hand. Each of these 5 Christmas Science experiments can be done with simple supplies found at a local store.
5 Christmas Science Experiments
Be sure to sign up for our FREE Christmas Science Experiments guide below. You’ll get some printables to help your children hypothesize about what will happen.
Christmas Rainbow Experiment
Supplies: M&M’s, light colored plate (not paper), hot water.
Instructions: Arrange the M&M’s in a circle in whatever pattern your child desires. Pour a bit of hot water over the M&M’s. This is similar to our Thanksgiving Science activities.
Scientific Idea: Chemical Reaction – The hot water breaks down the candy shell. The color in the shell follows the hot water to make a rainbow.
Fizzing Christmas Trees
Supplies: Baking soda, vinegar, green food coloring, small tree molds or cookie cutters (parchment paper).
Instructions: Mix baking soda and water to form a paste, add green food coloring, and press into molds. If using cookie cutters, place them on a dish over parchment paper. After freezing, place the “trees” in a dish and pour vinegar over them.
Scientific Idea: Acid-Base Reaction – When vinegar (an acid) meets baking soda (a base), it produces carbon dioxide gas, causing fizzing
Candy Cane Christmas Science Experiments
Crystal Candy Cane Ornaments
Supplies: Pipe cleaners, Borax (Found in laundry aisle or here), hot water, jar tall glass, string or yarn, boiling water, pencil or straw.
Instructions: Shape pipe cleaners into candy canes. With string or yarn, tie a loop around the candy cane & pencil. Dissolve Borax in hot water, place the pipe cleaners in the jar. Let pencil rest on top of jar, allowing candy cane to be fully immersed in Borax solution. Let them sit overnight to grow crystals. Hang on your Christmas tree.
Scientific Idea: Supersaturation and Crystallization – As the solution cools, the dissolved Borax begins to form crystals on the pipe cleaner.
Dancing Candy Canes
Supplies: Clear glass, club soda, mini candy canes.
Instructions: Fill the glass with club soda and drop in the mini candy canes. Watch as they float and dance! This is similar to our dancing popcorn Science experiment.
Scientific Idea: Density and Carbonation – The carbon dioxide bubbles attach to the candy canes, making them buoyant. When the bubbles pop, the candy canes sink, creating a dance effect.
Melting Candy Canes
Supplies: Mini candy canes, warm water, small bowls, Post-Its
Instructions: Label each small bowl with a Post-It: Cold. Warm. Hot. Drop a mini candy cane in each bowl. Candy canes dissolve or melt at different rates, depending on the water temperature.
Scientific Idea: Water Molecule Movement – The hot water’s molecules are moving more rapidly. With rapid movement, the hot water melts the candy cane much more quickly. The warm is a bit slower since the molecules move more slowly and the cold water is slowest of all.
Would you like our Candy Cane Experiments Printables? You’ll receive printables for your children to make predictions, record observations, as well as directions and supply lists for each of our Candy Cane Experiments.
Normally, this ebook is $5, but you can have it free for a limited time. Leave your name & email below and we’ll send it to you via email.
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