Skittles Science

2/8/21

In honor of our sweet theme this month at Kids Quest, we’re sharing a few classic experiments for you to try at home with the kids. Best of all, these activities use things you likely have at home. All you need to purchase is a one-pound bag of Skittles.

 

Skittles Strata

This experiment covers the concept of density, the added sugar creates weight in the water.  The water with the most Skittles is going to be heavier than the cups with just a few pieces of candy. Talk with your kids about which cup of water is the heaviest after you add the Skittles. This activity is also fun because the kids get to sort the candy by color and count the number of Skittles needed per cup.

You will need:

• 6 Clear plastic cups
• 1 Eyedropper
• 1 Pound bag of Skittles
• Water
• Measuring spoons
• Access to a microwave

 

Instructions:

Place 12-14 purple Skittles into cup 1.

Place 10-12 green Skittles into cup 2.

Place 6-8 red Skittles into cup 3.

Place 4-5 orange Skittles into cup 4.

Place 2-3 yellow Skittles into cup 5.

Heat 1 cup of water in the microwave for one and a half minutes.

Put 2 tablespoons of warm water into each of the five cups.

The color will begin to dissolve—let them sit for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally to liquefy the sugar.

Once the sugar has been dissolved in each cup, you can begin carefully layering the contents of each into the new cup.

Transfer the purple layer into the new cup.

Next carefully add the green liquid using the eyedropper, placing the tip of the eyedropper against the edge of the glass to slow down the flow of the colored sugar water

Repeat with the red liquid, then the orange liquid, and finally, add the yellow liquid to top off the layers you’ve created.

 

Skittles Spin Art

This one is so easy—and so pretty. Best of all, you only need three things to have fun.

You will need:

• Skittles
• Plate (We used white to show off the colors)
• Microwavable measuring cup
• Water

 

Instructions:

Arrange the skittles in a circle in the middle of the plate.

Fill the measuring cup with water and heat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Slowly pour the hot water into the center of the plate.

Watch the colors slowly melt and swirl into a crazy cool pattern.

 

We’d love to hear from you. How many of you have tried science activities with your children during distance learning? If so, what experiments have you tried?

Post a photo of your activity to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #KQFun #KQFamilyFunSpot and tag us @kidsquestinc!