Today we will be switching it up, and doing an experiment that comes from the branch of science called biology. Biology is the study of living organisms. It may seem a little silly, but this lesson is going to start with an experiment about gummy bears! We’ll do the experiment and then learn about the principle that is at play and learn how it’s related to biology. Before starting the experiment, we’re going to do a quick refresher on how to measure using a ruler.
Materials: A few gummy bears, a cup of water, a ruler*, the shared GoogleDoc, a timer
[Note: if you don’t have a ruler, you can print one from here. If you don’t have a printer, you can use it to trace. For the GoogleDoc, just click “the shared GoggleDoc” above, and it will take you there.]
Review on how to use a ruler– Primary (Pre School-1st grade)
Review on how to use a ruler– Primary & Intermediate (K-5)
Time for the experiment….
More information on Osmosis
What is Osmosis?– Intermediate (3rd++)
Why is osmosis important?– Primary & Intermediate (K-5th)
Osmosis! Rap Science Music Video– Primary & Intermediate (K-5th)
You won’t understand all of the terms, but it’s entertaining and a great way to be introduced to more complex science concepts.
We literally cannot thank you enough for this blog, it is a life saver! We start every morning with a science experiment. As soon as our older daughter (4.5) wakes up she asks what today’s experiment will be. We are having a great time and learning a lot. Thank you so much for bringing us so much fun and joy during a stressful time!
You are very welcome!!
These experiments have been a tremendous help! We are from Iowa and I found this blog on a list off facebook. We finish our days with these experiments and they are looked forward to every day! Science was the one subject I wasn’t as comfortable with coming up with on my own. I so appreciate how accessible these experiments are! THANK YOU!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for letting us know you’re enjoying them! So glad that we can support you guys, even from states away 🙂 Feel free to “like us” on Facebook and share our blog to others who might find it helpful. We have a lot more great activities coming!
We have really been enjoying the experiments and this one was no exception! We did a bit of an extension, trying to see what would happen in salt water vs. sugar water. We added a tablespoon of salt or sugar to the same volume of water. After about 6 hours, the sugar water one had grown much more than the salt water one, which makes sense! 1 tbsp of NaCl will have much more solute since Na+ and Cl- separate in water and Na+ and Cl- have lower molecular weights than sugar (more moles of solute per gram). So the salty water had less of an osmotic driving force than the sugar water, thus less swelling!