One of my favorite parts about the holidays is making easy science experiments. I pulled out these candy canes from my “old candy stash” to make a colored candy canes Christmas science experiment. Old candy is scientific treasure here. We get so excited when a holiday gives us a reason to discover, ask questions, and explore. This time our question was: which color candy cane will lose its stripes first?

Per my usual, this is easy to make with super low prep. It’s perfect for busy moms, busy teachers, and busy homeschoolers – and for the busy Christmas season!

Christmas Science Experiment Instructions

We grabbed three different kinds of candy canes: rainbow, peppermint, and blueberry. That’s what we had on hand. I’m frugal, so I encourage you to use whatever you can find if you don’t have my exact flavors around.

I broke the candy canes so that they would easily fit into a cup of water, and we peeled the plastic cover off.

When I said “go,” the kids carefully dropped the candy canes into a cup of water. The water was about room temperature.

Next, we waited and watched as the candy cane colors started disappearing. At this point, I gave them each a candy cane to suck on while they watched.

The colors started to come off, and the water began to change.

They each cheered on their own candy cane.

Now for the winner:

Red came in first as it lost its stripes first.

Blue came in a close second.

Then rainbow finished last, and we especially enjoyed seeing how the color at the bottom of the rainbow cup turned black.

You could extend candy cane science into other experiments:

• have a taste test
• put candy canes in different liquids
• see what happens when you leave candy canes in water for the day
• compare how different candy canes smell

I’d love to hear what you do with candy canes! Or click here for a list of other awesome Christmas crafts.

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Katie T. Christiansen

Creator at Preschool Inspirations

Katie has spent 17 combined years in the Early Childhood field as a teacher, preschool owner, and educational writer. She has worked in profit and non-profit programs, high-risk schools, and started an in-home preschool and outdoor collaborative preschool program. She adores being a mom to three children, and her youngest is currently in preschool.

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