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Have you ever wondered how to make your own candy at home? Experiment with us by using the materials and instructions here to make your own rock candy!

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‍Materials:

- Jar or Glass

- Wooden Skewer

- Clothespin

- A Large Pot

- 1 Cup of Water

- 3 Cups of Sugar

- Food Coloring (optional)

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‍Procedure:

1. Run your wooden skewer under water so it is completely wet.

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2. Pour a thin layer of sugar on a plate or paper towel and roll the wet skewer in the sugar. Then let the sugar covered skewer dry completely. This can take close to an hour.

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3. With an adult’s help, boil 1 cup of water on the stove. Once boiling, add 1 cup of sugar and stir until it dissolves. Dissolving looks like the sugar is disappearing into the water. Continue adding the sugar until all 3 cups have dissolved.

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4. Remove the pot from the stove and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Tip: If you are using food coloring, now is a great time to add it!

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5. Once the liquid is cool, pour it into the jar or glass until it is almost full.

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6. Place your skewer into the middle of the clothespin and then set the clothespin on top of the jar. The skewer should be suspended in the jar of liquid.

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7. Wait 5 – 7 days and observe what happens. Once you are happy with the crystal growth, remove the skewer and enjoy the candy.

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What’s happening? When you dissolve enough sugar in boiling water you create a supersaturated solution. This means that there is more dissolved sugar than water can usually hold. You were able to make this supersaturated solution because you used hot water.

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It appears dissolved in the boiling water, but as the water cools to room temperature, some of the sugar cannot remain dissolved. This is why solid sugar crystals begin to form! The sugar you rolled your skewers in at the beginning is the “seed” sugar, meaning it will encourage your sugar crystals to form on the skewer.

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