Make your own rock candy
OK, who LOVES candy? We all know Rock candy is even better!
What do you need?
What do you need?
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups sugar
- Food coloring
- Jar
- String
- Pencil
How to make it:
Have an adult help you with steps 1 and 2!
Have an adult help you with steps 1 and 2!
- Boil one cup water
- Gradually add 4 cups of sugar to the water and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
- When all the added sugar water cools, add food coloring or fruit flavoring and carefully pour in a jar
- Tie a string to a pencil and place it on the jar, so the string hangs into the sugar water solution
- Put it in the refrigerator (it is possible to see results in an hour).
- After several days bigger crystals will form
- What is happening here?
- What is sugar made up off?
- Sugar is made up of several tiny tiny crystals. So it is this property we are using to make a bigger crystal.
- They all clump together to form a huge candy crystal like you see in the picture.
What’s happening?
Crystals should start to form after an hour. But, if you wait a few days, large crystals should start to form. Sugar is actually made from tiny crystals that lump together. Rock candy is the same.
Crystals should start to form after an hour. But, if you wait a few days, large crystals should start to form. Sugar is actually made from tiny crystals that lump together. Rock candy is the same.
Additional Activity
Use a magnifying glass or hand lens to observe the sugar crystals grow up close.
Use a magnifying glass or hand lens to observe the sugar crystals grow up close.