Jelly Bean Experiment
This beautiful spring activity for kids allows kids to use STEAM skills (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) to create a beautiful rainbow activity for March, April, and May. This Jelly Bean Experiment is lots of fun for preschoolers, kindergartners, toddlers, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, and grade 4 students. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler – you will love this jelly bean stem activity to make learning fun. Use this jelly bean challenge at home, in the classroom, or as a spring activity in your homeschool.
Jelly bean science experiment
- Science: Kids will explore the design and construction of a jelly bean rainbow through individual (or collaborative) use of skills in the scientific method: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, and relating.
- Technology: Kids will use digital cameras to photograph a sequence of events and for documentation of learning.
- Engineering: Kids will exhibit simple attempts at design and construction.
- Math: Kids will explore patterns, patterning, colors, lines, and elapsed time through the jelly bean activity.
Jelly bean stem activity
Jelly beans are thought to have been invented by William Schrafft, a Boston candy maker. Schrafft is believed to have encouraged families to send his jelly beans to soldiers during the Civil War. By the 19th century, jelly beans were a common household name. Jelly beans were the first candy sold by weight instead of by the piece in the United States.
Jelly bean rainbow science experiment
Prior to the activity, set the stage for the inquiry by discussing the following questions and inviting kids to make a prediction:
- Which liquid, water or vinegar, will dissolve the jelly bean colors faster?
- Do you think the jelly bean colors will dissolve at different rates?
Jelly bean science
Materials needed:
- One standard bag of jelly beans (any brand)
- Two foam or paper plates
- Two cups (to hold water and vinegar)
- 1 c. water and 1 c. vinegar
- Stopwatch or timer
- One printable recording sheet for documentation of learning
- Pencil or Marker
Science experiment with jelly beans
- Invite kids to arrange the jelly beans in a color pattern around the edge of a paper plate (kids can use ALL colors in the bag to pattern with or choose only 2-3 jelly bean colors if desired).
- After the jelly beans are arranged (this is a great fine motor activity for younger kids), choose one of the liquids to begin. Pour the liquid slowly onto the center of the paper plate and observe closely as the liquid disperses.
- Start the timer as soon as all the liquid is poured onto the paper plate.
- Invite kids to photograph the jelly beans as the colors begin to dissolve and throughout the remainder of the exploration.
Jelly bean experiments
- As soon as all the colors meet in the center of the paper plate, stop the timer.
- Do the experiment by repeating the steps above with the second liquid – invite kids to note any differences they see between the two experiments.
Jelly bean rainbow
Experiment follow-up:
- What did you observe during the experiment? Kids can look at the photos they took to explain verbally.
- Did one color of jelly bean dissolve faster than the others?
- Was your prediction correct?
- Did you like the experiment?
- What would you do differently if you could do the experiment again.
Jelly bean science preschool
- Read about the history of jelly beans.
- Try to locate jelly beans in all colors of the rainbow.
- Try different liquids for the investigation: milk, hot water, lemon-lime soda, or lemon or lime juice.
- Jelly Bean Water Displacement Experiment
- 20 Jelly Bean Crafts & Activities for Kids
Spring Alphabet Printables
- Mowing the Lawn Spring Alphabet Game
- Spring Alphabet Worksheets for preschoolers
- Alphabet Kite Craft
- Free Printable Flower matching game for preschoolers
- Rainbow Spring Letter Tracing for kids
- Spring Flowers Letter Matching Printable for Upper and Lowercase Letters
- Rainy Day Find-the-Letter Spring Worksheets
- Raindrop Letters Matching activity for spring
- Hop to it! Frog alphabet matching game printable
Spring Language Arts
- Free Printable Flower rhyming words
- Bunny short i puzzles are a fun spring activities for kindergarten
- Cut, Paste, and Read Spring Sight words Reader
- April Showers Digraph Activities for second grade
- Spring sight words game
- free printable sight word worksheets for spring
- Spring vowel worksheets for kindergarten
- Spring CVC Words Activity
- Cut, Paste & Read Bug Free Printable SIght Word Books pdf
- Hands-on Caterpillar spring cvc words activity
- Printable spring bubble word family games
- April Writing Prompts Calendar
- Free May Writing Prompts Worksheets for K-4th graders
- Rhyming Words Spring Worksheets
- Simple, free Flower Rhyming Worksheets
- Printable Spring Emergent Reader
- Planting Carrots CVC Word Activity
- Frog free printable sight words games pdf
- Tulip spring rhyming words worksheet
- Carrot word family worksheets for kindergarten
Spring Math Activities
- Butterfly Counting to 30 Worksheets
- Free printable kite Skip Counting Craft
- Spring counting playdough mats
- Insect Telling Time Puzzles
- Count to 10 Insect printables for preschoolers
- Fraction Flowers worksheets for kids
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar flashcards – numbers
- Bug Measuring Cards Free
- Raindrop counting activity for spring
- Spring carrot what comes next activity
- Flower free printable number bond worksheets for kindergarten
- Flower Tracing Numbers 1-30 pdf
- Spring Math Puzzles to work on counting and addition
Spring Math Activity
- Spring Counting Clip Cards
- Spring Birds, Free printable one to one correspondence activity with jelly beans
- Free printable missing number worksheets
- Spring Bunny counting number tracing cards
- Teen Number sense Flower Addition Worksheet
- Shape Flower Playdough Mats
- Printable Spring Tracing Worksheets
- Free Printable FLOWER shapes activities for kindergarten
- Vegetable counting from 1 to 10 clip cards activity
- Seeds Make 10 Addition Game
- Spring Addition Counting Clip Cards
- Kite Color Matching – free printable learning colors for toddlers game
- Free printable How to plant a seed step by step worksheet
- I Spy Farm Animals (great for visual discrimination & counting)
Spring Printables
- Free Printable Spring Worksheets Preschool
- Backyard Critters Insect worksheets for kindergarten
- Spring color words worksheets using do-a-dot markers
- B is for Butterfly weekly theme
- Fun Ant activities for preschoolers (prek / k)
- I is for Inchworm activities for kids
- Match the Flower Worksheet for Kindergarten
- Spring lego challenge cards
- Fruit Loop Color Matching Umbrella Craft
- I Spy Spring
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Spring Science
These science projects and spring science experiments are perfect for indoor or outdoor!
- How big is a Raindrop Experiment for kids
- Marshmallow Shooters – go over 30 feet!
- 2 ingredient Easy Slime Recipe
- How to Make a Lava Lamp – it’s super EASY!
- Kids will no nuts over this simple Pop Rock Experiment
- Density water balloon science experiment
- Fun-to-Make, Beautiful Chromatography Butterflies for kids
- Vinegar and Baking soda Rocket Experiment
- Outrageously cool Lemon Clock project for kids
- Making butter in a jar experiment
- Balloon solid, liquid, gas hands-on activities
- Amazing Coke and mentos experiment worksheet
Spring Science Worksheets
These free science printables are a grea way to learn about the parts of a plant, plant life cycles, animal life cycles, to take along as zoo field trip worksheets, and more!
- Free Printable Parts of a Plant Flipbook
- LOTS of Gardening with Kids tips and information
- Plant Life Cycle Worksheets and Observation Book
- Life Cycle of a Plant Worksheet Pack
- Hatching Butterflies Observation Book
- Printable Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheet free
- Free Earthworm life cycle worksheet
- Nature Walk Activity Sheet
- Frog Life Cycle for Kids spinner activity
- Free printable Life Cycle of a Frog Worksheet
- Seasons on the Farm Printable
- Free Zoo fieldtrip worksheet
- Printable Animal Habitat Game
- Insect Life Cycle printable books
Spring Crafts for Preschoolers
Your kids are going to want to try these fun springtime craft projects.
- 30 DIY Bird Feeder projects to make with kids this springtime
- Gingho Leaf Umbrella Craft
- Bubble Wrap Umbrella Craft Preschool
- Cute toilet paper roll bunny crafts for kids
- 40 Earth Day Crafts
- Easy Impressionism for Kids spring art project
- Pasta Butterfly Craft
- Pop-up Butterfly Crafts for preschoolers
Flower Crafts for Kids
- 100 Beautiful Flowers Crafts for Kids to Make
- Flower Mason Jar Lid Crafts
- Handprint Spring flower art projects
- Celery Painted Tulip Flower Craft
- Beautiful Painted Flower Craft Ideas
- Felt Board Flower Craft
- Splatter Art Flower Craft for Kids
- Fine Motor Bead Flower Craft for Preschoolers
- How to Make a Flower Crown
- Cute printable flower craft for mothers day
- Super cute Printable Flower Craft for working on name recognition
- Fun-to-Make and lovely painted flower craft preschool
Spring Activities for Kids
- Colorful Snake Bubble Activity for kids
- Spring pasta craft for kids
- Head to the zoo with this FREE Zoo Scavenger Hunt – lots of choices for all ages!
- Make your favorite animal with one of these 100 animal crafts
- Find monthly resources such are our March Crafts for kids or our March Activities for Kids!
- Check out our April Crafts for kids or our April Activities for Kids!
- Don’t miss these May Crafts for kids or our May Activities for Kids!
- Let’s ease into summer on June 21st with these June Crafts for kids or our June Activities for Kids!
- Homemade Bubble Solution for GIANT bubbles
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