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Created by Sue Cahalane, Science for Kids

Gummy Bear Science Lab

Gummy bear lab Gummy bears do some amazing things when you

put them into different solutions! I use this lab to introduce my students to the scientific process.

I use Haribo brand gummy bears for this lab. Results may vary depending on brand. Make sure you check packaging for allergens!

I have my students work in pairs. The first thing we do is make some good observations of a gummy bear – appearance, length, width, mass. Then we set up the experiment. We set up 4 different conditions: 1 gummy in: 50 mls H20 50 mls H20 + 1 tbsp. salt 50 mls H20 + 1 tbsp. baking soda 50 mls vinegar We predict what will happen (worksheet provided). We leave the bears in each solution over night and record results the next day. (See data charts and graphs). Copy & laminate the sheet on the next page for each experiment. *Do not eat gummy bears after they have been soaked overnight!!

©2013suecahalane

©2013suecahalane

water

baking soda vinegar

salt water

©2013suecahalane

Name _____________________________

Scientists make

predictions

Gummy bear in water

Gummy bear in baking soda Gummy bear in vinegar

Gummy bear in salt water

Scientists make

predictions! What do you

think will happen to the

gummy bears? Will they

grow? Shrink? Lose all

their color? Fade color

just a bit? Completely

dissolve in the liquid?

Slightly fall apart? Turn

into mush? Write your

predictions here!

©2013suecahalane

Name _____________________________

Scientists make

predictions

Gummy bear in water

Gummy bear in baking soda Gummy bear in vinegar

Gummy bear in salt water

Name ___________________________ Gummy Bear Science

List 4 observations of the gummy bear:

____________________ ____________________

____________________ _____________________ Question: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Hypothesis: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Experiment: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ___________________________________________

©2013suecahalane

Name ___________________________ Gummy Bear Science

List 4 observations of the gummy bear:

____________________ ____________________

____________________ _____________________ Question: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Hypothesis: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Experiment: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

©2013suecahalane

mass = 2 grams

length= 2 cm

color : red

soft, gelatinous

Will gummy bears change when kept in different

solutions overnight?

I think ...

4 beakers: 50 mls H2O, 50 mls H2O + 1 tbsp. salt, 50 mls 50 mls vinegar, 50 mls H2O + 1 tbsp. baking soda

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RESULTS

Record results:

Original Length

Day 2 Length

Change in Length

Physical Description

+H2O

+Salt H2O

+Vinegar

+Baking Soda

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Record results:

Original Length

Day 2 Length

Change in Length


+H2O

+Salt H2O

+Vinegar

+Baking Soda

©2013suecahalane

2 cm

2 cm

2 cm

2 cm 2.5 cm

4 cm

4.5 cm

3 cm +1 cm

+2.5 cm

+0.5 cm

+2 cm

Huge! No color change

Slightly larger, not as soft, no

color change Grew the

most! Extremely fragile and

soft, no color change

Slightly larger, lost

color

Record results:

Original Mass

Day 2 Mass

Change in Mass


+H2O

+Salt H2O

+Vinegar

+Baking Soda

©2013suecahalane

Results:

Original Mass

Day 2 Mass

Change in Mass


+H2O

+Salt H2O

+Vinegar

+Baking Soda

©2013suecahalane

2 g

2 g

2 g

2 g 2.5 g

8 g

+1 g

+6.5g

+0.5g

+6 g

8.5 g

3 g

Huge! No color change

Slightly larger, not as soft, no

color change Grew the

most! Extremely fragile and

soft, no color change

Slightly larger, lost

color

befo

re

afte

r be

fore

af

ter

befo

re

afte

r be

fore

af

ter

Liquids

Leng

th in

cen

timet

ers

1

9

8

7

6

5

4

2

3

0

+H2O +Salt H2O

+Vinegar +Baking Soda

Gummy Bears- Change in Length

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befo

re

afte

r be

fore

af

ter

befo

re

afte

r be

fore

af

ter

Liquids

Leng

th in

Cen

timet

ers

1

9

8

7

6

5

4

2

3

0

+H2O +Salt H2O


Gummy Bears- Change in Length

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befo

re

afte

r be

fore

af

ter

befo

re

afte

r be

fore

af

ter

Liquids

Mas

s in

Gra

ms

1

9

8

7

6

5

4

2

3

0

+H2O +Salt H2O


Gummy Bears – Change in Mass

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Conclusion:

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____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

What is going on?!

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All of the gummy bears grew! This is because they contain an animal protein called gelatin. Gelatin is what makes gummy bears gummy. It makes the gummy act like little sponges - they absorb water and swell in aqueous solutions. Without the gelatin, the gummy bears would fall apart. They would just dissolve into the water and the water would turn red or green or whatever color the gummy was. The gummies always grow the most in vinegar. The vinegar (which is actually a dilute solution of acetic acid) almost completely dissolved the gelatin (acid breaks down proteins and gelatin is a protein), those bears will really be falling apart! Because the acid breaks down gelatin, there is room for more water to enter the gummy. The gummy bears do not grow as large in the baking soda and salt water.

Many refer to this experiment as an osmosis experiment – this is not correct. Osmosis requires the presence of a semi-permeable membrane. The gummy bears do not have a semi-permeable membrane in them. This is actually an example of diffusion. Diffusion occurs when molecules move from an area of high concentration to low concentration. It does not require the presence of a semi-permeable membrane. There is more water outside the gummy bear than inside the

bear, so water moves into the bear.!

Time Lapse Photos Using 2 Different Brands

of Gummy Bears

©2013suecahalane

The following 2 slides are time lapse photos of the gummy bear experiment so you can see the change over time. The best results occur after an overnight soak. I used Black Forest brand & Haribo, both have similar results. I put the gummy bears in water and photographed them after 5 time intervals. Please note, Black Forest brand says “Manufactured in a facility that also processes products containing soy, tree nuts, dairy, egg. Manufactured in a facility that uses

peanuts” . Haribo brand does not carry this warning at the time of this writing!

Thank you! Thank you so much for purchasing this unit! I hope you and your students enjoy the hands-on science activities.

Sue Cahalane Science Teacher Grades PK – 4

Please note: this unit is for the use of one educator. If you would like to share my lesson plans with a co-worker, your

team, your school, or your district, please purchase multiple licenses which are offered at half price.

On your “My Purchases” page, you’ll see that every product has a “Buy Additional Licenses” option. Click on that option & enter the

quantity of half-price licenses. Thank you so much!!

Sue from Science for Kids J

Terms of Use

• All pages are copyrighted. • This packet is 1 classroom/teacher use only. Do not make copies or

email it to your colleagues. This unit was designed by me and is for your personal (one user)use. You may

not share it or claim it as your own. You may not redistribute it. If colleagues are interested in it, please send them the link to my store:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Science-For-Kids • You are not permitted to use any part of this packet to

create products for sharing or selling. • You are permitted to share the cover image of the packet on your website when referring to it in a post, as long as

you link back to my store. Copyright © 2013Susan Cahalane

All rights reserved by author.

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