Christmas is such an easy theme to create activities for kids around. There are so many aspects of Christmas that you can never get bored! Candy canes are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season in December, which is why it makes this Dancing Candy Cane Science such a fun Christmas Science experiment to try with toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students. This simple science project uses baking soda and vinegar for a silly chemical reaction that will make Chemistry fun for kids of all ages!
dancing candy canes
It is no secret that the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, is busy busy busy. This year we may not have as many in person parties, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be busy. I still want to share science experiments and learning activities with my kids, though. This candy cane experiment is based on a classic: baking soda and vinegar. We’ve been making these reactions in my kitchen for years. As soon as my daughter realized how easy it was, everything needed a baking soda and vinegar reaction.
To try this candy cane activity with toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and grade 1 students you only need a couple simple supplies you probably have already.
Materials Needed:
Clear Jar
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Candy Canes
dancing candy cane
Start by crushing up the candy canes. We had a variety of sizes, but the smaller slivers were what really danced around.
candy cane experiment
Once the candy cane is in pieces, grab the jar and pour in vinegar. Add the crushed up candy canes.
candy cane science experiment
When you’re ready, add the baking soda. The eruption happens right away and it is so cool to watch. It literally never gets old!
candy cane science experiments
Once the bubbles and fizz simmer down a bit, you’ll start seeing the candy cane pieces start rising. They’ll sit at the top for a bit. Then all of the sudden, as if music was turned on, the candy cane starts dancing. One thing we didn’t expect, or think about, was that the color of the candy cane would seep off into the liquid. It was cool to see the color change from clear to red within just a few moments.
candy cane activity
This is a super fun science activity for kids of all ages. You could do this easily in the classroom or at home. Kids will love it either way!
Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of Preschool Play and Learn. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! Beth is also the creator of 123Homeschool4Me.com and kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com where she shares more than 100,000 pages of FREE worksheets,& educational ideas for PreK-8th grade.
