What do you get when you mix students, science, and Skittles? Our fourth graders found out this week, when they added warm water to Skittles candy arranged in a rainbow pattern on a plate. Through asking questions, experimenting with cold and warm water, and observing what happens in each case, the students found that the candy’s colored coating dissolves, and the colored dye heads towards the center of the plate in a process known as diffusion. 

“In the Lower School Science classroom,” explains Science Teacher Cyndi Trapanese, “one of the first things we learn is the scientific method, a multi-step process that begins with a curiosity, including a hypothesis, and progresses through an observation and/or an experiment, to a discovery or conclusion. The final step of the scientific method is sharing our findings, which in the Lower School means writing in our science journals. We also read books and articles, watch videos, and visit websites that have been shared by scientists as they make discoveries.”

Students in grades one through five have been exploring science with fun, hands-on projects all week, asking questions, conducting experiments, observing, and discovering answers.

“Each experiment produced ‘oohs and ahhs,’ and the journaling was next-level, too!” exclaimed Ms. Trapanese with a smile. 

Fifth Grade

Question: How many drops of water fit on the head of a penny?
Answer: About 25, with the help of surface tension and cohesion.

Fourth Grade

Question: What happens if I pour warm water into a petri dish of Skittles?
Answer: Through close observation, they witnessed a diffusion rainbow! 

Third Grade

Question: What colors make up black ink?
Answer: With a marker pen, coffee filter, and water, students saw cyan, magenta, and yellow as the water separates from the ink into different colors via capillary action. 

Second Grade

Question: Can popcorn dance without heat?
Answer: Using water, baking soda, and vinegar, students created carbon dioxide bubbles that lift and spin popcorn kernels in a glass of water.

First Grade

Question: Do oil and water mix?
Answer: Students observed as oil and water held drops of food coloring in suspension.