Skittles Rainbow Experiment: Delicious At-Home Science
If you love color, you'll LOVE this Skittles rainbow experiment! It's a science and math activity all in one. The perfect way to use up left over holiday candy or a tasty way to teach your kiddos at home.
Candy Science Experiment Supplies
- Choose candies with a hard colorful coating.
- Skittles
- M&Ms
- Mentos
- Gobstoppers
- Sprees
- White plates
- Water
- Timer
Skittles Rainbow Experiment Set Up
To get your experiment set up you'll want a white background, like a plate. Arrange your candies in a color pattern. Rainbow color orders give the prettiest outcome but you can play around with others as well.
- M&Ms: Laid out in repeating rainbows
- Fruit Mentos: Alternating colors
- Skittles: Instead of a Skittle rainbow my kids wanted to see how the warm and cool colors would work together. We had WAY less green ones to work with.
- Gobstoppers: Single candy and rainbow plate
Candy Rainbow Experiment
First record your hypothesis. What do you think is going to happen?
- Which candy color will move fastest?
- Which will be brightest?
- How long will the rainbow stay intact before mixing?
- What do you expect to see?
Add Water and Watch the Rainbow
Once you have your candies set up on plates, slowly add a little water to the center of each, making sure the water reaches the candy but doesn't submerge it.
M&Ms
Does the waxy chocolate affect the dissolving shell? What happens to the chocolate in water? How long will the color rainbow stay intact before mixing?
Skittles
How quickly does the color run? Do any colors move faster than others? How is the candy center affected by the water?
Gobstoppers
The Gobstoppers were interesting. knowing they are made up of different layers of color we hoped to create a ring of colors using a single piece of candy on the plate.
A little disappointing in the multiple color results, we tried them in a full ring and they performed much better! Turns out there's only 2 colors in the Gobstoppers now.
Candy Rainbow Scientific Review
After you've recorded the progress over a 5 minute period, come back and see what's become of the candy itself.
- How much has dissolved in the water?
- How much color still remains? Has it blended or it is still a distinct rainbow?
- Are colors created that weren't originally there?
- Is the candy still edible?
Candy Science Is Colorful
Would you enjoy making a few candy rainbows at home? Which candy will you choose and how will you decide to arrange them? The big question is after your Skittles rainbow experiment are you going to EAT it?
If you try it at home, please share and tag us @partieswithacause on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. We love seeing all your hard work!
Pin it for Later
Summer Camp Activities: Week 5
Experiment with Science during our at-home summer camp and keep your kids busy most of the summer! We’ve got 6 weeks worth of crafts, activities, snack ideas, exercise recommendations, books suggestions, and even themed tv show and movie ideas.
It’s SCIENCE WEEK!
Join us each week for NEW summer camp ideas! Get a whole weeks worth of activity ideas sent straight to your inbox each week. Sign up here and receive a free printable Summer Adventure Field Guide!
You can also join the Facebook Group below to see a daily schedule and tons of ideas!
| |||||||
Did you miss DINOSAUR WEEK?
Check out the Dinosaur Activity Ideas
- Dino Dig Party Activity
- DIY Dinosaur Egg Piñata
- Dino Drool Clear Slime Recipe
- Dollar Tree Dinosaur Craft for Kids
- 21+ Dinosaur Crafts For Kids
And Dinosaur Food Ideas
Did you miss SPACE WEEK?
Check out the Space Activity Ideas
- Galaxy Slime Recipe Without Borax
- Cricut Crafts DIY Space Helmet
- Outer Space Jewelry – by DIY Candy
- Marshmallow Constellations Space Crafts for Kids
- Space Crafts for Kids: 30+ Out of This World Ideas
And Space Food Ideas
Did you miss NATURE WEEK?
Check out the Nature Activities
And Nature Food Ideas
- Ladybug Appetizers Veggies Tray
- Cute Bug Themed Kid Snack Ideas
- 12+ Nature Themed Snack Ideas for Kids
Did you miss AROUND THE WORLD WEEK?
Check out the Travel Activities
- Japan Fun for Kids – Japanese Inspired Cultural Night
- DIY Bamboo Decor with Pool Noodles
- Countries of the World Game for Kids
And Travel Food Ideas
Up next….Week 6: UNDER THE SEA
You sure are a cool mom. My kids would be playing with that for hours.
We’ve had a lot of fun our leftover candy this quarantine. Thank you so much. I try to be cool. 🙂
I want to come visit your house, you do the coolest things! Love this simple and fun idea! With candy!!!!!! Winner
You are welcome any time! We try and have lots of fun around here. They really loved this one especially since they got to eat a few of the extras.