There's nothing more fun than stealing your kid's Halloween candy. It's not like they will eat it all and there are usually leftovers, anyway! In fact, Momma Gone Geek Lynn Brunelle joined New Day NW to show us some fun experiments you can try with your candy.
Blow Up a Balloon with Pop Rocks
Use Pop Rocks to blow up a balloon!
What You Need:
- Pop Rocks
- Bottles of soda—try different kinds and compare
- Balloons
- Funnel
What You Do:
- Use the funnel to put a package of pop rocks into a balloon.
- Wrap the neck of the balloon around the mouth of the bottle
- Upend the balloon so the insides go into the soda
- What happens?
What’s Going On?:
Pop Rocks candy pops because it has small amounts of carbon dioxide pockets. When you put the candy in your mouth, your saliva dissolves the candy and the carbon dioxide bubbles burst in your mouth. That’s the popping sound!
When you mix the popping candy with soda pop, you are combining a whole lot more liquid, gas, and pressure. The soda also contains pressurized carbon dioxide gas. When you drop the candy into the soda the carbon dioxide bubbles in the soda gather around the candy in a gazillion little bubbles. The gas escapes and rises up. The balloon is there to catch the gas.
Dancing Gummy Worms
Here’s a simple way to make those little bland candies dance!
What You Need:
- A handful of gummy worms
- A tall glass
- Soda water
What You Do:
- Fill the glass with bubbly water.
- Drop a few gummy worms in and watch them dance!
What’s Going On?:
The carbon dioxide in the fizzy water is less dense than the water so it rises up. It also takes the candy up for a ride. But when it gets to the top the gas goes into the atmosphere and the candy falls back down. When bubbles stick to it again it will rise. Then fall. And so on and so forth.
Candy Watercolor Pumpkin
What You Need:
- A handful of orange candy—M&Ms, Skittles, or Reese’s pieces
- A plate
- Hot water
What You Do:
- Arrange orange candy in the shape of a pumpkin. Place the orange candies in a circle to form the sides and use four brown candies to make the stem at the top.
- Slowly pour hot water on the inside of the pumpkin--just enough to cover the bottom of the plate.
- Watch.
What’s Going On?:
The shells of the orange candies are made with food coloring and sugar. When the candies come in contact with the hot water, that sugar dissolves into the water and the colors spread across the plate, filling the pumpkin with orange.
Take it further:
- Make a heart by using red hots or any small red candies. Add hot water and get a colored heart.
- Make your own watercolors. Arrange candies into shapes and fill those shapes with hot water.
Candy corn launcher
Do you have an overabundance of candy corn? Of course, you do! Grab a cup and a balloon, harness a little motion, friction and force, and fling those little sweeties far and wide. This is a great outdoor project. Set up a box on the ground and see if you can hit the mark!
What you need:
- Disposable cups (medium-sized work best)
- Balloons
- Candy corn (or other small candies)
- Scissors
- Tape (we used duct tape)
What You Do:
- Cut the bottom off of a cup. You only want to cut the bottom so go up about ½ inch and cut there.
- Next, cut the mouth part off of a balloon and stretch the bottom part of the balloon over the bottom portion of the cup.
- Tape the edges of the balloon to the cup. This makes it stronger and prevents the balloon from snapping off when you use it.
- There will be some loose balloon at the bottom of your cup. Pull it slightly and tie a knot in it. This is your handle.
- Pop a candy into the launcher.
- Pull the knot on the outside of the balloon and let it go.
- Like a slingshot the balloon will make the candy fly.
What’s Going On?:
When you pull back the balloon, you are loading it up with elastic energy. The pull of the balloon is strong. When you let it go, that energy is released and gets transferred to the candy. The balloon stays put when it hits its original position, but the candy is launched.
Segment Producer Rebecca Perry. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.