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Growing a candy heart is a great way to use up any extra bags of M&Ms you may have lying around. And trust me when I say that this Valentine STEAM activity was completely mesmerizing for our entire family.
(STEAM, for the uninitiated, is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. This activity falls under the Science and Art categories of STEAM.)
For more Valentine learning activities, see my Valentine Activities for Kids page.
To grow a candy heart, you will need the following materials:
- A plate
- Red M&Ms (red Skittles would likely work as well)
- Water
Begin by making a heart of red M&Ms in the middle of your plate.
Slowly pour water in the middle of the heart until water is touching all of the M&Ms.
To see what happens next, check out this short video:
Amazing, right?
What’s the science behind growing a candy heart?
The hard shell of the M&Ms is made with water soluble colors. When the water touches the M&Ms, the colors begin to dissolve off of the M&Ms and run into the water, filling in the candy heart with red coloring.
More Valentine’s Day learning resources
More Valentine posts from Gift of Curiosity:
- Valentine Montessori activities
- Valentine sensory bin
- Heart suncatcher
- Marbleized hearts
- Find the hearts Valentine’s sensory bin
- Books about Valentine’s Day
- Valentine’s Printables Pack
- Valentine Bingo
- Valentine I Spy game
- Valentine Do-a-Dot Printables
For more Valentine ideas, check out my Valentine Activities for Kids page and my Valentine’s Pinterest board.
Does the water need to be warm?
I imagine warmer water would cause the candy shells to dissolve faster, but no, you do not need to use warm water. We used room temperature water straight from the tap.