Candy Cane Science

Yay for interest-led learning and on-the-fly science lessons!

This morning for a treat at breakfast I made hot chocolate for the kids.  I even found the candy canes I had bought after Christmas last year on sale and stirred those in.  When the candy canes disappeared as if by magic, that led to a great, quick science lesson.

We stuck one candy cane in a glass of refrigerated cold water, and one cane in a glass of hot tap water.  Then they were set on the table for observation while we finished breakfast.

It was very clear that the candy dissolved much quicker in the hot water.  The kids even noticed that the hot water was a deeper pink color and tasted more minty.