skittles and milk science experiment

Skittles Experiment: Cool Science for Kids

Who knew the science to be learned from a pack of Skittles and a little warm water! This Skittles Experiment is super simple and the results are fascinating. In fact, this is one science experiment that easily fits into the captivating and magical category – just like the magic milk experiment and the DIY lava lamp experiment .

It offers an engaging, purposeful activity for children to practise making predictions, and for developing their observation and science record keeping skills.

The actual science at play involves what’s known as the concentration gradient – and you can find out a little more about how and why skittle science works below the experiment procedure.

Skittles Experiment

You will need:

• 1 package of Skittles candy (for this project we used the Wild Berry combination)
• 1 large white dinner plate

Directions:

Place your dinner plate on a stable surface. Arrange the Skittles in a circle around the edge of the plate. We like arranging ours in a pattern.

You are going to gently pour the warm water into the center of the plate but first make a prediction about what you think will happen when the Skittles get wet.

When you’re ready, pour enough water to cover the bottom of the Skittles. Do not add too much water, you don’t want the Skittles to float out of position.

Wait a few seconds. The colours from the Skittles will start to spread slowly towards the middle of the plate.

Optional : Time how long it takes for the colours to meet in the middle of the plate.

Continue observing until the colours meet in the middle. Talk about why your children think the colours don’t mix.

At the end of the activity, check out the bottom half of the Skittles. You’ll see that the bottom half of the Skittles are now white.

The Science of Skittle Science: Skittle Science Explained

This experiment explores the chemistry concept known as the concentration gradient – that is, that chemicals move from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration in an attempt to equalise the concentration.

As the Skittles start to dissolve in the water, they send the coloured sugar outwards in an attempt to equalise the concentration of sugar in the water. The colours do not mix however as the same amount of sugar has dissolved from each Skittle – the concentration of sugar is already equal.

Extension Ideas

One the colours have met in the middle predict what will happen if you place a sugar cube in the middle of the plate. Test your prediction.

Retry the experiment with both M&Ms and Gobstoppers. What similarities or differences do you observe?

Try hot water versus cold water and observe any resulting differences.

Test alternative liquids such as vinegar, soda water, milk and cola.

For Younger Children

Place an assortment of Skittles on a coffee filter or paper towel/kitchen paper. Let your child drip water onto the Skittles with an eyedropper or plastic pipette. Remove the Skittles and notice the marks left behind on the filter or towel. Invite your child to describe what they see.

For more colourful STEM fun that’s more than a little magic, be sure to check out our cool eResource – Rainbows & Kaleidoscopes: 25 STEAM Activities Exploring Colour (and Color!) .

Christie Burnett is a teacher, author and mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to find engaging, high quality learning ideas.

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Amazing Skittles Experiment

Do you end up with tons of skittles candy from holidays gone by? We certainly build a small arsenal of sugary treats, and there’s an excellent use for them too. Fun  candy science experiments ! Use your skittles candy and water for this classic skittles science experiment that everyone has to try! It’s a great way to teach kids about stratification.

Skittles Experiment

This skittles experiment is so simple and goes fast, so don’t turn your back on it! Great for kids to set up and do themselves too. Make sure to check out below all the fun variations of it you can do!

• Bag of Skittles
• Water (experiment with warm water versus cold water)

Instructions:

STEP 1 :  You want to empty out your skittles and check out the colors.

STEP 2:  Next, lay out your plates in a good place so they won’t be disturbed.

STEP 3: Now’s the fun part, make patterns! It’s up to you how you want to place your colors. Make a rainbow or a pattern. You can experiment with placing different colors next to each other. See our fun theme variations mentioned at the beginning.

STEP 4: Once you have placed your patterns, gently pour water in the middle of the plate until it reaches all the candies and barely covers them.

Now, wait, and watch to see what happens! Give your kids a chance to ask questions, make observations, and explore.

Applying The Scientific Method

Ask open-ended questions to get kids thinking! What changes could they make to this experiment? Go ahead and play with the variables! Changing up a variable even if only slightly can be a great learning experience. Learn more about variables in science !

• Could this skittles science experiment work with another type of candy?
• What would happen if you tried a different liquid and compared the results?
• What happens when you add warm water to skittles?
• Does moving the skittles closer together or further apart speed up the process?

Learning to be a scientist is about asking questions, testing ideas, and finding solutions! With just a few simple steps, this science experiment for kids will wow you!

How Does It Work?

The Skittles experiment involves placing Skittles in a shallow dish of water and observing how the colors from the candy dissolve and spread in the water.

When Skittles are placed in water, the outer sugar coating and food coloring begin to dissolve due to the water’s solubility. This process is driven by diffusion, where the dissolved dye molecules move from an area of higher concentration around the Skittle to an area of lower concentration in the surrounding water.

Water molecules are cohesive, meaning they tend to stick together, which contributes to surface tension . The initial dissolving creates a high concentration of sugar and color immediately around the candy, which can cause slight differences in the density of the water in that area.

These differences in density can create a barrier that slows down the mixing process. As a result, the colors remain separate for a short period until diffusion and convection currents eventually cause them to mix.

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Fun Theme Skittles

Of course, you can incorporate many fun themes into your skittles water experiment by varying the color of the skittles and adding fun accessories like cookie cutters. You can also try this skittles science experiment with M&Ms. Plus, you can make skittles paint!

• Heart Skittles For Valentine’s Day
• St Patrick’s Day Skittles
• 4th of July Skittles
• Pumpkin Skittles
• Christmas Skittles Project
• Skittles Color Wheel
• M&M Candy Experiment

More Fun Science Experiments To Try

• Salt Water Density
• Erupting Lemon
• Homemade Lava Lamp
• Walking Water

Printable Science Projects Pack For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place, plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

12 Comments

This was a very cool experament

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Great ideas! Thanks!

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Rainbow Skittles Experiment Science Activity for Kids

This Skittles rainbow  science activity  is so easy to do and incredibly fun! It even comes with free recording sheets to add to your science lesson plans!

Rainbow Skittles Experiment

If you are looking for a simple science experiment that your kids can do with ease, then this rainbow Skittles activity is going to be perfect for you!

You only need 3 simple supplies and you will be good to go.

*Note: This should be done with adult supervision at all times.

Our kids chose to do the experiment over and over again with different Skittles colors and patterns. It’s easy to wash the plate off and create a new pattern to experiment with!

If you want to try this fun candy rainbow activity too, keep on reading for all of the instructions.

Setting Up the Skittles Science Experiment

Supplies Needed:

• Skittles (Try different colors and flavors!)

Instructions:

• Grab your plate and organize the Skittles in a circle around the edge of the plate. Kids can try different color patterns each time they do the experiment!
• Gently pour water in the center of the plate. Warm water works better than cold. Make sure there is enough water to go past the Skittles while filling the plate.
• Wait and watch the Skittles colors move towards the center of the plate with beautiful rainbow streaks.
• That’s it. It’s so quick and easy!

The Science Behind this Rainbow Science Experiment:

Skittles are coated with sugar and food coloring. When you add warm water to the Skittles, the sugar and food coloring start to dissolve. They have similar amounts coated on them so they dissolve at similar speeds and stay in their lanes.

The sugar is moving to areas of water with lower sugar concentration. If the water is poured in the center, this is happening for each Skittle at relatively the same speed.

I hope your kids have a great time with this fun Skittles rainbow experiment!

To get the Skittles rainbow recording sheets, click the button below!

Check out these other science activities for kids.

Try this super simple Oobleck recipe that only requires two household ingredients!

This awesome rainbow  Walking Water Science Experiment  is a favorite for kids of all of ages!

You can also make a rainbow of flowers with this super cool color changing flowers experiment !

This rain cloud jar science experiment give children a chance to explore clouds and rain in a hands-on and engaging way

The kids will get a kick out of this super cool  dancing raisins science experiment !

Save Your Favorite Ideas

Skittles Experiment

Create a colorful rainbow pattern or make a flower in this easy to do skittles experiment! Kids will love seeing the dye from the skittles move when you add water. Learn about the science behind

RELATED: Dancing Raisins Experiment

In this experiment, you can observe candy dyes dissolving but also that the dyes won’t initially mix with each other as they dissolve.

Kids will love helping to line up the skittles, add the water and then watch the magic!

You can also make different patterns or shapes. We made a flower shape too!

The Science

Here’s what you’ll observe: the food dye from the skittles doesn’t initially mix with the water.

The skittles dissolve, but the colors do not initially mix with each other. The reason the food colors meet in the middle of the plate and do not initially mix is because each skittle has the same amount of sugar dissolving.

Watch the Video Tutorial

How is a rainbow made.

When you include every color in the rainbow in this experiment, you can create a colorful dissolving rainbow on your plate. When you add warm water, the water starts to dissolve the dye and sugar in the candy. Why does this happen? The colored sugar that is coating the candy dissolves in the water and spreads due to a process called diffusion. The sugar moves from the area where there is a lot of sugar to a place where there is less sugar.

Why do the Colors Not Mix?

The colors do not initially mix because each skittle has the same amount of sugar dissolving.

Do you Need Warm Water?

Yes, we found warm water works the best for this experiment. This is because the molecules in warm water move more quickly than cold water. The water will move faster to the center of the plate before the colors have a chance to mix together.

Follow-up Science Experiments

Ask kids what they think will happen and what their predictions are when you change the experiment. Try changing variables like adding cold water, different candy or adding in sugar cube obstacles to see what happens.

You can also try different shapes, like making a flower (see the flower version below).

Supplies for a Skittles Experiment

• We used both the regular skittles and the tropical packs to get red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple to make our rainbow pattern.
• A plate that is slightly curved in (this helps to direct the water into the center when the candy dye dissolves)
• A dropper or pipette (for the flower version)

How to do the Skittles Experiment

1. Line up your skittles into the shape of a circle on a dish that is slightly curved in.

It needs to be slightly curved so that the candy dye will run into the center.

Continue until you have a full circle.

We did a rainbow order but you can use any pattern of colors!

2. Slowly add in warm water into the center of your circle.

You do not want the water to go too far beyond the circle of skittles. But you do need the water to touch each skittle so that it can dissolve the dye.

3. Now watch the magic!

The dye from the skittles will slowly start to move into the center.

The candy dye will slowly dissolve and the dye color will move from the candy to the center of the dish.

To Make the Flower Version: 

1. Create the flower center using the color of your choice. We did yellow.

2. Create the petals with skittles in a different color.

3. Add warm water into each petal and the center of the flower using a dropper or pipette.

The candy dye will slowly dissolve and the dye color will fill the petals of the flower.

The best part about this experiment is kids can enjoy the skittles when they are done!

More Science Experiments

Try this fun and easy Grow a Rainbow Experiment . You only need washable markers and paper towel!

For another fun experiment, make some oobleck! 

Try a rainbow rain cloud in the jar experiment!

Dancing Corn Experiment

Fluffy Slime Recipe

Walking Water Experiment

Oil and Water Experiment

Related ideas:.

How to Make Slime With Contact Solution

How to Make Oobleck

Grow a Rainbow Experiment

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Skittles Experiment

Engaging in the Skittles science experiment transforms a simple candy into a mesmerizing lesson in solubility, diffusion, and color science. This experiment is visually striking and offers a hands-on learning experience that delves into the wonders of how substances dissolve and interact. Perfect for children, educators, and anyone with a curiosity for science, this activity uses Skittles to create a vibrant display of color diffusion in water, making it a fascinating exploration of chemistry and physics principles.

Materials Needed for Skittles Experiment:

A pack of Skittles A shallow plate or dish Lukewarm water

Instructions to perform the Skittles Experiment:

Arrange the skittles:.

Place the Skittles around the edge of the plate, forming a circle. You can create patterns by alternating the colors for a more visually striking effect.

Add Warm Water:

Carefully pour warm water into the center of the plate until it just covers the Skittles. It’s important not to pour too much water; just enough to touch the edges of the candies.

Observe the Magic:

Watch as the colors begin to dissolve and spread towards the center of the plate, creating a whirl of colors. The process takes a few minutes, so be patient and observe the beautiful patterns formed.

Skittles Experiment Explained:

This experiment showcases the process of dissolution and diffusion in a captivating way. As the warm water touches the Skittles, it dissolves the sugar and food coloring on the candy’s surface. The food coloring, being water-soluble, spreads out through the water, demonstrating diffusion – the movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration. The warm water helps to speed up this process, as heat increases the energy of the water molecules, facilitating the dissolution and diffusion of the colors.

Variations of the Experiment:

Temperature testing:.

Experiment with cold water to see how it affects the rate of color diffusion.

Color Patterns:

Create various patterns with the Skittles to see how the colors mix or create different designs in the water.

Surface Exploration:

Try the experiment on different surfaces or shapes of dishes to see how the water flow affects the color patterns.

The Skittles science experiment offers more than just an eye-catching display, it serves as an engaging way to familiarize children with scientific ideas through interactive and enjoyable activities. It demonstrates the beauty of science in everyday materials, encouraging curiosity and a deeper understanding of the natural world.

Safety Note: While this experiment is safe and suitable for children, it’s important to conduct it under adult supervision to ensure a safe and educational experience. Always wear protective eyewear during science experiments to safeguard your eyes from potential splashes or debris.

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Easy Science Project With Skittles

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, please read my disclaimer  here.

Science experiments are incredibly fun with kids. We did this cool science project with Skittles today to help with weather week.

Spoiler: it produces a rainbow!

It’s incredibly easy and you can get kids as young as 2 involved with putting together the entire experiment!

My 4-year-old loved taking part in the experiment and I even let her eat some Skittles at the end!

This science experiment is budget-friendly too. If you have Skittles in your house, you have all the ingredients you need!

I’ve even included some tips on other candies and ideas you can do with this experiment to really get your child’s brains working.

If you’re looking for other science experiments to do with kids , and even toddlers, check out this list of super easy science experiments.

They all can be done with kids ages 2 and up and are a great way to keep kids occupied while you’re at home.

Other Articles You’ll Love:

The Best Board Games for 2-Year-Olds

21 Super Simple Science Experiments to Do with Kids

25 Fun Family Activities to Do While You’re Stuck at Home

The Best Free Online Games for Toddlers

How to Put Together A Science Project with Skittles

Grab either a big bag of Skittles or two small fun packs of them. I used four because we experimented twice today.

Have your child place the Skittles around the inside of a circular plate.

Poor just a little warm water in the inside of the plate. You need just enough water to fill the bottom of the plate completely.

Wait and watch! The colors will start to spread to the middle and create a cool pattern in a matter of minutes!

It’s okay if the kids bump the table slightly. The Skittles science experiment will still work great! Trust me, my daughter has bumped the table a few times when we do this.

Keep reading for other variations on how to do this science project below!

Why Does This Experiment Work?

Skittles are coated with sugar and food coloring. What happens when you get sugar wet? It absorbs in the water!

The same effect is happening during this science experiment. The water hits the Skittles and the sugar coating melts into the water. Since the water is all in the middle of the plate, it only has one way to go.

Does This Skittles Science Experiment Work with Milk?

I have tried this experiment with milk, and it does not work. The Skittles just sit there. You can even move the plate slightly back and forth and they still will not dissolve.

Sprite, on the other hand, will create the same effect!

What Other Candies Can I Use?

This experiment also works great with M&Ms and Smarties. The M&Ms will create a similar effect while the Smarties will melt a little slower and will be more faded because of its colors.

Other Ideas to Make This Experiment

Here is a quick list of other ideas you can do to keep kids entertained with this simple science experiment.

– Use a square plate instead of a round plate

– Use a toothpick or small paintbrush to create a design once the Skittles have dissolved their colors

– Group the Skittles by color to make a big rainbow

– Put Skittles inside the middle of the plate to create a face or design to see how they react

Science Project with Skittles

A simple science project for kids of all ages. Try it with Skittles, M&Ms, and even Smarties!

• 1 package of Skittles

Instructions

• Place Skittles in a circle on a plate.
• Pour warm water in the middle of the plate until it just fully covers the bottom.
• Sit and watch the rainbow form!

Try this with Sprite to create a rainbow or show your kids how milk does not have the same effect.

You can also try this experiment with M&Ms and Smarties!

Sharing is caring!

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Thursday 8th of September 2022

Do you think this would work on a thick paper plate?

Tuesday 11th of October 2022

If there is wax or plastic on the top, it could work, but paper may soak up the water and colors so it doesn't work as well.

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Skittles experiment is a really quick and easy activity to set up and can be done again and again in slightly different ways to get all sorts of weird and wonderful results! 

What you’ll need

How to do skittles science experiment.

Ready?  Let’s go!  First, you will need to arrange the skittles in a circle – try to make sure you have different colours next to each other.  This is a great opportunity to get creative by trying different shapes and patterns of the sweets.

Next, carefully pour in some water into the middle of the circle until the Skittles are half submerged.  Now sit back and watch!

Over the next few minutes, you will see coloured stripes form starting from the edge and gradually growing towards the middle of the circle.

The Science Explained

So what exactly is going on here?  Why do Skittles dissolve in water? The first question we must ask ourselves is what is the crunchy, coloured layer of a Skittle made of?  It is in fact made of sugar and food colouring. Water is able to dissolve (break down) the sugar into a sugar/water solution and this releases the colour.

In all solutions, the substance that does the dissolving is known as the solvent and the substance that is dissolved is known as the solute.

The final question we can ask ourselves is why do the colours go into neat stripes?  Why do they not mix up? All Skittles look very similar but no two are identical. They have very slightly different amounts of sugar which means the section of water with one Skittle will have a very slightly different density to the section next to it.

The process whereby water gets split due to differences in density (or other things such as temperature) is known as stratification.

How to take the experiment further

Why not try some changes of your own to this experiment?  What do you think would happen if you used cold water or hot water instead?  Do you think the colours would appear in the water faster or more slowly?

There are loads of other ways that you can make this experiment your own by trying other sweets, using oil or milk instead of water or even putting food colouring into bits of the water before the coloured stripes start to form!

Here is a video showing the same experiment we tried with M&M’S

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She Loves Science

A Mom Inspiring with Science

The Classic Skittles Experiment 

February 25, 2017 by Tracy Leave a Comment

Is it just me or is it now in style to get back to the classics… classic fashion, classic books, class acts? What makes something classic anyways? For kid’s science I have found that classic experiments are predictable, easy to set up, have a wow factor, and produce a ‘stick-ability’ in the minds of the beholders.

So for Science Friday at Andrew’s preschool I knew this would be a perfect activity to do alongside learning about rainbows. How many preschoolers can say that they know what a rainbow tastes like? Hint: They think it tastes like sugar and honestly I’d like to think if I could taste a real rainbow it would taste a lot like sugar too!

Here’s what you need:

• Skittles – you can often find a small box of them for $1
• White paper plates

When I am doing science with kids I always look for way to make it easy to clean up. This is probably the #1 reason I don’t do science at home every single day is because I don’t want to make a mess.  But if all I need to do is fold up a paper plate when it is done then I’m all about it.

Here’s how you do it: 

• Arrange 10 skittles around the small paper plate in a rainbow pattern
• Pour water in the plate until all the Skittles are touching water
• That’s it… classic.

What’s the science?

For 3 year olds, we talked about what colors are in a rainbow, what pattern we should make for a rainbow, and guessed about why Skittles dissolve in water.

For older kids, you can ask them to guess if the Skittles will dissolve faster in warm water or hypothesize on why the colors don’t initially mix together. The Skittles will dissolve faster the warmer the water because the warm water molecules are farther apart and able to fit the sugar molecules more quickly to form the solution.    Here is an interesting article about why the colors don’t mix together in M&Ms similar to Skittles. (Sounds like another experiment in the making!)

Here’s a fast motion video but the effect will take a few minutes for the colors to join up in the center of the plate.  Enjoy!

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Coffee Cups and Crayons

Simple play ideas, learning activities, kids crafts and party ideas, plus acts of kindness for kids!

July 19, 2016

Skittles Candy Science Experiment

We love doing kitchen science experiments . They’re not just fun, they are easy to set up because the materials come from, well, your kitchen.

This Skittles candy science experiment is a favorite because you only need two supplies and the results are impressive.

• Skittles candy
• jar or bowl

Pour a little bit of water into a dish and add a couple of Skittles candies. Immediately you can start to see something happen.

Skittles are pure sugar so they dissolve in water.  The Ss on the top start to dissolve and float to the top first, but it happens quickly so if you walk away you may miss it.

As the color coating starts to dissolve the colors begin to mix together.

Until finally you are left with a sugary water mixture.  The kids love to see the colors mix together.

Heart Skittles Candy Science

After you try it with a couple Skittles get creative and turn it into a shape like a heart to see how the results differ!

You do it the same way but instead make a heart outline on the dish and fill it in with Skittles. It looks cool to use two different colors. Then add the water and watch what happens!

Here’s a video of what it looks like:

Another fun candy science experiment is dissolving an M&M .  The results are similar, but not identical so it’s interesting to do both of them at the same time and compare what happens.

More Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids:

• Does It Dissolve?
• 10 Science Experiments for Kids
• Celery Science Experiment
• Conversation Heart Science
• Make a Cloud in a Bottle

And make sure to check out and save the big list of all of our FAVORITE science experiments for kids! Organized into one place for easy reference!

About Megan Sheakoski

Megan is the creator of Coffee Cups and Crayons, a blog full of simple fun and learning. She believes that kids’ activities don’t have to be complicated to be fun and that learning is better with play.

November 19, 2015 at 11:24 am

this looks like a cool experiment so awesome!

March 8, 2018 at 1:00 pm

September 18, 2019 at 5:34 pm

I love what it looks like

September 19, 2019 at 3:45 pm

Yes! It’s so cool!

November 19, 2015 at 11:25 am

super cool guys thanks

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Crafty Morning

Kids Crafts, Recipes, and DIY Projects

DIY Ideas , Kids Activities · August 12, 2016

Skittles Science Experiment for Kids

Here's a fun skittle science experiment to do with your kiddos! They will watch in amazement as the colors spread! Made by Early Learning Toys You can also find our EARTH DAY skittle experiment here .

Supplies Needed:

Have your little ones make a circle with different colored skittles on a round plate. Warm up some water in a glass and pour it in the center of the circle. Watch the magic! (See video below)

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Fun with Mama

Toddler and preschool activities

Written by Nadia T • Feb 7, 2024 • 18 Comments

Magical Skittles Rainbow Science Experiment

Not only can you use Skittles to taste the rainbow, but you can also create your very own Skittles experiment to make a rainbow too! Your little scientists will love this simple science experiment that takes just a couple of minutes to do.  Learn how to make a rainbow with Skittles candy in this post.

Related : Make Ice Cream In A Bag

Don’t you love it when you find easy arts + crafts for kids that use minimal supplies you probably already have at home? I do!

You’ll be glad to know that your kids do not need to eat all that leftover candy from Halloween or Valentine’s Day! Turn that candy into an easy science experiment for kids !

This is a great activity that is suitable for all ages, especially for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and even grade schoolers.

Skittles Rainbow Science Experiment

My kids absolutely love science experiments! They still can’t stop talking about the  volcano science experiment . I think that one won me mother of the year. This one is no different.

I don’t think I’ve ever had as many “oooooh” and “aaaah” sounds coming from such an easy science experiment before.

With this science activity, we saw a beautiful rainbow of colors that included yellow, orange, red, green, and purple.

Video Of the Skittles Experiment

Materials Required:

Please note that affiliate links are used in this post.

This activity only requires 3 things… 2 of which will already be found in your home.

• A plate or bowl
• Warm or Hot Water – Warm tap water worked great for me and that is what I used in this tutorial. The hotter, the better. Unless you are working with young children, then safety definitely needs to come first.
• Skittles  – You will use one bag per time you do the experiment. You could also use M&M’s

Watch my kids do the skittles science project below.

How to do the Rainbow Skittles Science Experiment rainbow

Step 1: Place the Skittles in a circle around your dish at the edge of the plate.

If working with younger kids, they will be strengthening their fine motor skills while doing this. They will also use their pincer grasp to place the skittles onto the plate. It is a great activity and fun way to get some pincer grasp practice.

Pincer grasp refers to using the middle finger, forefinger, and thumb together to grasp an object. It is an important fine motor skill that helps with holding a pencil.

This is a great time to talk about patterns. Create different patterns by using different colors. If you alternate the colors in the same order you will see a rainbow similar to the one in my pictures.

You could also do color blocking by placing the same color Skittles next to each other.

Once you have completed the circle, add in warm water from the middle of the plate. Make sure you add enough water to go right to the edge of the candy on both sides.

Wait thirty seconds to see the colors begin to release into the surrounding areas of water out. This happens when the sugar dissolves.

If you used cold water instead of warm water for the skittles experiment, then it will take longer for the colors to begin to release.

As the dye dissolves from the candy shell the rainbow of colors will start to come together.

Then be completely amazed by your beautiful results! At the end you can have your child mix all the colors together using a toothpick or their finger. You can discuss how when you mix colors together it becomes a brownish color.

For my three-year-old, it really helped that the bowl I chose had the outline of the perfect circle. This helped her create a circle easily.

What is the science behind the skittles experiment?

Each Skittle has a colored shell that is made up of food coloring and a sugar coating. The sugar molecules are then dispered into the water in areas that have a lower sugar concentration.. Because the sugar water has food coloring in it you can observe this process.

The amount of sugar dissolved within the colored water should be the same and therefore they are the same density. That is why the colors stay separated and don’t mix together.

The reason you use warm water or hot water instead of cold water is because the temperature can effect the result. If you use cold water the rainbow will form more slowly. That is because the water molecules in hot water (and warm water) move around more quicker than in cold water.

More creative ways to do this experiment:

• Try out different patterns.
• When teaching a young child about colors, you can use just 1 or 2 colors of Skittles. For example if you are teaching the color red, then only include red skittles. When you pour the hot water in you will see red water. If you are teaching a child the color purple then use just purple skittles. You will then see purple water.
• Adjust the temperature of water. Use two plates. In one plate of Skittles Candy use hot or warm water. In the second plate use cold water. Observe the differences between how the experiment works in each plate.
• Make this a seasonal activity by changing the colors as we did in this Valentines Skittles Experiment . Make it a St. Patrick’s Day activity by using just green skittles.

Looking for more candy experiments? Check out the Fizzing Candy Canes experiment too.

Check out these other rainbow activities too

• How to Make Crystal Rainbows
• How To Make Rainbow Colored Rice
• Rainbow Bubble Foam Recipe
• Make a Rainbow with Play Dough

More fun Candy Learning Activities from around the web.

• Graphing Candy (Busy Toddler)
• Preschool Learning Activities With Candy (Toddler Approved)

This post was originally published on January 9, 2017.

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Nadia is a mom of 4, with a passion for making childhood education fun through play. She encourages parents to spend quality time with their kids through fun kids activities and enjoys art, traveling, and doing activities with her children.

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18 Comments

March 11, 2017 at 9:50 am

Could you do the skittle rainbow on a cardboard plate then you could save the rainbow after it dries. You could discard any skittles that didn’t disolve.

May 22, 2017 at 9:25 am

that’s a cool idea too Fran.

May 22, 2017 at 9:26 am

I have been gathering fun ideas to do with my two boys during the summer break.. adding this one to the list.

May 28, 2017 at 6:53 am

I came over from Happiness is Homemade and I am so glad I did. This will be amazing for my twin grandsons to try. And they love Skittles. I’ll have to double the amount! This proves there is are in science.

Wishes for tasty dishes, Linda

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4th of July Skittles Science Experiment

Celebrate Independence Day with this simple red, white, and blue 4th of July Skittles Science Experiment ! This simple science experiment for kids will teach them about how sugar dissolves when mixed with warm water and mixing colors. 

What You'll Find On This Page

Skittles Science Experiment:

Not only are science experiments a lot of fun, but your kids can learn many important skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision making.

Through hands-on science activities your children can also practice asking questions, observing, recording data, analyzing the results, and drawing conclusions. These skills will help your kids in all areas of their learning including reading and writing! 

Getting Ready To Do The 4th of July Skittles Science Experiment:

This post may contain affiliate links.  Please read our disclosure  here .

What’s Needed:

• White or Clear Dinner Plate
• Red, White, and Blue Skittles
• A Cup of Warm Water
• Recording Sheet (click on the button below)

If you are doing this experiment in your classroom or homeschool, you can have your kids write their predictions and observations on the recording sheet. To get the free printable, click on the button below to download and print the worksheet. 

To set up this science activity, set the plate on a level surface. Next, place the red, white, and blue Skittles in a circle near the edge or rim of a glass or plastic plate. 

How To Do The 4th of July Skittles Science Experiment:

To begin this simple science experiment, slowly pour the warm water into the center of the plate until the water spreads and covers the bottom of the candy. 

As the water moves from the middle of the plate to the rim, it touches the Skittles and begins to dissolve the sugary shell.

Within seconds, your kids can watch as the colors begin to move toward the center of the plate and come together until they all touch.

As your children observe the colors blending, they can time how long it takes for the colors to blend and record the data. Your kids can also take pictures or a video of the experiment. 

After the experiment, your young learners can record their observations on the recording sheet.

The Science Behind The Skittles Science Experiment:

Skittles are covered by a hard, crunchy shell that is made up of sugar and different colored dye. When the warm water mixes with the sugary shell, the sugar dissolves and the different colored dye begins to run and blend together.

This red, white, and blue 4th of July Skittles Science Experiment  is a simple science activity to teach your kids how sugar dissolves when mixed with warm water and about mixing and creating new colors. 

Can You Use Other Candy For This Experiment?

You can use any type of candy that has a hard, crunchy shell that is made up of sugar and different colored dye. You can try M&M’s and compare the experiment results to Skittles. 

Pin It For Later:

Do you want to save this science experiment for later? Pin this to your elementary science board on Pinterest and it’ll be here for when you’re ready!

More 4th of July Activities for Kids:

4th of July Process Art Painting

4th of July Alphabet Sensory Bin

Download The Freebie:

This red, white, and blue 4th of July Skittles Science Experiment   is a simple science activity to teach your kids how sugar dissolves when mixed with warm water and about mixing and creating new colors. 

Instructions

As your children observe the colors blending, they can time how long it takes for the colors to blend and record the data. Your kids can also take pictures or video of the experiment. 

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10 of the Best Colourful Science Experiments

September 5, 2024 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

Colourful science experiments are often much more engaging for younger children than less colourful activities. Adding colour to a lava lamp, volcano or density demonstration makes the activity feel extra special.

I’ve pulled together a list of my 10 favourite colourful science experiments for kids of all ages.

10 Colourful Science Experiments for kids

Create a skittles rainbow.

The infamous Skittles experiment will never let you down. It’s inexpensive, simple and looks fantastic.

Children can turn it into an investigation by using different temperature water and arranging the Skittles in different ways.

Rainbow in a hosepipe

Create a rainbow on a sunny day day using just a hosepipe. All you need to do is stand with your back to the sun, spray the hosepipe and a rainbow will appear in the droplets!

DIY Colour Mixing Wheel

A colour mixing wheel is a fun way to learn about primary and secondary colours. Children can create their own or use my handy template.

Another fun way to learn about colour mixing is to make colour mixing squishy bags .

Colourful Jar Activity

Creating firework type swirls of food colouring in a glass of water is a brilliant, very visual science activity for kids of all ages.

Colourful Potions

Baking soda and vinegar potions can be made colourful by adding food colouring or using red cabbage indicator . Red cabbage indicator is especially fun to use as it changes colour depending on whether you add an acid ( vinegar ) or alkali ( baking soda ).

The addition of a little dish soap makes an extra foamy potion.

Coloured Density Jar

A multicoloured density jar can be made from water, salt and food colouring!

The blue-coloured water contains salt, which makes it denser than the orange water, which does not contain salt. The denser liquid stays on the bottom and does not mix with the less dense liquid on the top. If the glasses were placed with the salt water on top, it would sink to the bottom and the colours would mix.

Colourful Flowers

White flowers can be made colourful by placing them in a vase of coloured water. The colourful water rises up the stem into the white petals, filling them with colour.

This is a great science activity for demonstrating transpiration .

Colourful Baking Soda Volcano

A baking soda volcano is an ever popular science activity. We made this one extra special by using two colours for the lava!

If you have snow this winter, snow volcanoes are easy to set up and almost mess-free. We made four different colour volcanoes a couple of years ago.

Paper Chromatography with Felt Tip Pens

Colourful paper chromatography is a simple science activity that can be done using paper towel if you don’t have filter paper.

The different inks in the felt-tip pens move through the kitchen towel at different speeds, separating the colours.

Black pens often contain the most different colour inks and are a great example of how this technique can be used as a method of separation.

Colourful Salt Crystals

Creating colourful salt crystals is a fun science activity for a hot day and a visual way to learn about evaporation.

More colourful science experiments

Set up a walking water experiment . This is a fantastic way to learn about capillary action and looks brilliant when it’s complete.

Learn about surface tension with a magic milk display .

Create a colourful slushy drink using the cooling power of ice and salt.

Do you have a favourite colourful science activity?

Last Updated on September 5, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

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