M&M Candy Rainbow Lab
The M&M Candy Rainbow Lab is mesmerizing! Kids will love to watch their favorite candy create a colorful rainbow on a plate! This is a simple hands-on science activity for all ages! This is the perfect lab for younger students as you can review colors and even create patterns around the plate. For the older crowd, this lab provides the opportunity to discuss the science behind why this happens. Have fun!
*We have a similar lab if M&M’s aren’t your thing! Try the Skittles Candy Rainbow Lab! Be sure to check out our other Labs & Experiments here!
As a Christian Book and Amazon affiliate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. As always, we only recommend items that we truly feel will benefit your homeschooling experience. We appreciate it.
M&M Candy Rainbow Lab Supplies
First, gather your supplies. The supply list for the M&M Candy Rainbow Lab is pretty simple- water, white plate, and M&M’s. You only need enough M&M’s to cover the perimeter of the plate. We bought the BIG bag because we like to eat M&M’s and with so many of us sharing I didn’t want to end up with none. Well, that’s the truth. 🙂
M&M Candy Rainbow Lab Procedure
DON’T DO WHAT WE DID… WELL, PARTLY. I poured water on the plate first and then the kids put the M&M’s around the perimeter of the plate. DON’T DO THAT. Let’s just say that the coloring on the M&M’s was dissolving faster than we could put the M&M’s on the plate!
Try this procedure instead!
Procedure:
1st Step: Line the perimeter of the inside lip of your plate with M&M’s.
2nd Step: Pour water in the center of your plate until it cover half of the M&M up.
3rd Step: Just watch and observe.
LOOK! WE MADE A M&M CANDY RAINBOW!
WHAT'S THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT?
On the outside of every chocolate M&M is a candy coating of colored sugar. Well, sugar and coloring dissolve in water. So, if you put a M&M in water, the sugar coating will dissolve right off of the chocolate turning the water into sweet colored water. The dissolving sugar coating seems to be moving away from the M&M candy that it came from. Why? This is a great time to talk about the atoms in a liquid. The atoms in a solid stay closely knit together with little to no movement. A gas on the other hand, has atoms that are moving in all directions. In contrast, water is a liquid and as such, the atoms move and slip past each other. Since the atoms in a liquid move, the color coating is spreading out away from the M&M.
Scientifically speaking, you just created a solution. A solution is a type of mixture where a solute (the sugar/food coloring) is being dissolved into a solvent (water).
M&M Candy Rainbow Lab Sheet
It isn’t always necessary to have a lab sheet to record observations, but if you are trying to teach your student the importance of observation and thinking like a scientist, then this download is for you! I also like to use this lab sheet when working with students in a traditional class setting. It is an effective way to record a student’s progress.
Food for thought...
Looking for a more permanent science curriculum? Even though we pursue various science units that encompass labs and such, we also use a science textbook each year. Some might say that our science units supplement our textbook, while others would say the opposite to be true. The labs, experiments, graphic organizers, videos, and other activities bring the textbook information to life.
We use Abeka Science textbooks. I love that they incorporate God and His sovereignty into their curriculum. When I taught in the public school system, I noticed that many of my students were lacking in vocabulary. This made it difficult for them to understand the why behind many of our investigations. Unfortunately, they were deficient in their background knowledge. Our science time would be lacking too if it weren’t for the rich vocabulary and science language that we find in our science textbook and readers. If you are interested in shopping for a full-time science curriculum or even just a textbook to guide you, click on the following link! Happy homeschooling!
Try out these other FREE resources!
