M&M Candy Experiment For Kids

Science and candy all in one perfectly simple science activity for kiddos to try this season. Our M&Ms Color Candy Experiment is a fun twist on a classic science experiment. Taste and see this yummy rainbow! Quick results make it super fun for kids to observe and try over and over again.

M&M CANDY EXPERIMENT FOR RAINBOW COLOR!

M&Ms RAINBOW SCIENCE

Of course, you need to try out an M&Ms science experiment for easy candy experiments! Do you remember our original Skittles Experiment? I thought it would be fun to give this a try with the candy that melts in your mouth and not in your hands!

This colorful candy science experiment is an awesome example of water density, and kids love this fascinating candy science project! Our candy science experiment uses a classic candy, M&Ms! You could also try it with Skittles and compare the results! Check out our floating M’s here too.

M&Ms RAINBOW CANDY EXPERIMENT

You will want to set this experiment up where it won’t be bumped into but where you can easily watch the process unfold! Kids will have so much fun creating their own arrangements and patterns with the skittles. You should definitely have multiple plates handy! Make sure you have extra candy for snacking too!

YOU WILL NEED:

M&Ms Candy in rainbow colors
Water
White Plates or Baking Dishes (flat bottom is best)

Click below to get your quick and easy STEM challenges.

M&M RAINBOW SCIENCE SET UP:

STEP 1: Set out a bowl of M&Ms and you can let the kids sort them out themselves!

Let your child have fun arranging them in a pattern around the edge of a plate alternating colors in any number they like- singles, doubles, triples, etc…

Before pouring in the water ask your child to form a hypothesis. What do you think will happen to the candy after it gets wet?

This is a great time to work in a little deeper learning, you can find more information to teach your child about the scientific method here.

STEP 2: Carefully pour water into the center of the plate until it just covers the candy. Be careful not to shake or move the plate once you add the water or it will mess up the effect.

Watch as the colors stretch and bleed out away from the M&Ms, coloring the water. What happened? Did the M&M colors mix?

Note: After a while, the colors will begin to bleed together.

M&M CANDY EXPERIMENT VARIATIONS

You can easily turn this into an experiment by changing some variables. Remember to only change one thing at a time!

You can experiment with both warm and cold water or other liquids like vinegar and oil. Encourage the kids to make predictions and carefully observe what happens with each one!
Or you could experiment with different types of candies (like Skittles or Jelly Beans).

WHY DON’T THE COLORS MIX?

FACTS ABOUT M&Ms

M&Ms are made of ingredients that can dissolve in water. They also do it quickly, so you have cool science right away. Dissolving candy is fun to test out with a variety of liquids and candies. Find out how different candies dissolve at different rates. Dissolving gumdrops also makes a colorful science experiment.

Looking for easy to print activities, and inexpensive problem-based challenges?

We have you covered…

WHY DON’T THE M&M COLORS MIX?

While digging around for information, I learned about a term called stratification. The immediate definition of stratification is the arrangement of something into different groups which is a lot like we see with the M&M colors, but why?

Water stratification is all about how water has different masses with different properties and this may create the barriers that you see among the colors from the M&Ms.

Still, other sources talk about how each M&M candy has the same amount of food coloring being dissolved and as the concentration of this color spreads out similarly they don’t mix when they meet up with each other. You can read about this concentration gradient here.

CHECK OUT MORE SIMPLE SCIENCE:

Your kids will love this M&Ms Color Candy Experiment!

Discover more fun and easy science & STEM activities right here. Click on the link or on the image below.