Posted by Nicole Carney on Oct 30, 2013 in Activities for Halloween, Bugs, Halloween, Science Activities | 3 comments

With Halloween just days away, I thought it would be fun for the boys to conduct a couple of science experiments starring… GUMMY WORMS!

Growing Gummy Worms

Materials:

Gummy Worms
Container of Water

Conducting the Experiment:

When I asked M to predict what he thought would happen to the gummy worms if we soaked them in water for a few hours, he confidently replied, “I think they’ll get bigger”. I’m pretty sure his response was related to the growing dinosaurs we purchased from the dollar store a while back. In any event, we performed the experiment to see if M’s hypothesis was correct.

I put a glass container of water on the table, along with a few gummy worms, and had the boys drop the worms into the water.

They kept fishing the worms out of the water and dropping them back in again…

We left them in the water for several hours, then checked on them again when M came home from preschool. The boys noticed right away that there was a definite change in the size and texture of the worms. M’s prediction was correct; the worms had grown bigger, and they felt extra soft and squishy! The boys couldn’t resist trying a bite of the jumbo worms, although they quickly decided they weren’t nearly as tasty!

The Science Behind The Experiment:

Gummy worms are made up of sugar, gelatin, and flavouring/colours (usually artificial). As the gummies sit in the water, the sugar begins to dissolve; meanwhile, the gelatin absorbs the water like a sponge, making the gummy worms grow and swell.

Extension Activity:

*Try leaving the gummy worms in the water for different lengths of time *Try submerging the gummy worms in different liquids (ie. vinegar, apple juice, baking soda mixture, soda pop) for the same amount of time, and see what happens!

Wriggly Worms

I got this idea from a great blog called The Kitchen Pantry Scientist. This blog is full of fun and simple science experiments you can do with your kids, using ingredients you likely already have on hand in your pantry.

Materials:

Gummy Worms
Water
Scissors
Baking Soda
Vinegar

Conducting the Experiment

First, I cut the gummy worms lengthwise into quarters (making 4 skinny worms per one gummy worm). Next, I had M mix a few tablespoons of baking soda in a cup of water, while B dropped the gummy worms inside.

We let the gummy worms sit in the baking soda mixture for 15-20 minutes (it’s recommended to let them sit between 15-30 min.).

Then M fished the worms out of the baking soda mixture with a fork, and dropped them into a glass of vinegar.

When the gummy worms became submerged in the vinegar, they immediately sprang to life and began to wriggle and squirm!

The Science Behind The Experiment:

The gummy worms begin to wriggle and squirm when the baking soda (a base) comes in contact with vinegar (an acid) producing a chemical reaction (carbon dioxide gas bubbles).

Click the links for more Halloween Activities and Science Ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!