Class with Bethany Nebrija-Rosales: Third Grade: Matter Experiment

When a liquid evaporates into a gas, it can leave material behind. In this experiment, the material left behind, we can eat and enjoy!

Make sure your parents help you with the experiment!

1. Materials

Pan
Water
Stove
5-7 Tablespoons of Sugar
String or a small wooden stick
Pencil or a clothes pin
Glass jar
Scissors
Button

2. Experiment steps

Step 1: Bring a small pan of water to a boil on the stove, and turn off the heat.

Step 2: Add one tablespoon of sugar, and stir until it dissolves.

Step 3: Continue adding sugar, one tablespoon at a time, letting each tablespoonful dissolve completely before adding the next. (Add 5-7 tablespoons of sugar in total). When no more sugar will dissolve in the water, allow the saturated solution to cool.

Step 4: Tie a string to the middle of a pencil, and set the pencil across the rim of a glass. Cut the string so that it just touches the bottom of the glass. Tie a button onto the bottom of the string. Or you can use a small wooden stick instead of string and a clothes pin instead of a pencil.

Or

Step 5: Pour the cooled sugar water into the glass. Rest the pencil across the rim of the glass so that the string and button are in the solution. If you want, you can add food coloring to have blue, red, orange, etc. rock candy.

Step 6: Allow the glass to sit in a warm place without being disturbed for several days so that the water evaporates. As the water evaporates, it will leave sugar crystals on the string. You've just made rock candy :) !