• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Start Here
  • Homeschooling
  • Shop
  • Member Log In
  • Cart

Gift of Curiosity

Sparking children's creativity and learning

  • Holidays
  • Seasons
  • Subject Areas
  • Themes
  • Age
Home
  • Blog
    • Holidays
    • Seasons
    • Subject Areas
    • Themes
    • Age
  • Start Here
  • Homeschool
  • Shop
  • Member Log In
  • Cart

Grow a candy jack-o-lantern {Halloween STEAM activity for kids}

2 Comments Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade

Sharing is caring - thank you for spreading the word!

347 shares
  • Share2
  • Twitter
  • Email

This post may contain affiliate ads at no cost to you. See my disclosures for more information.

Growing a candy jack-o-lantern is a great way to put all those Halloween M&Ms to good use. If you haven’t done this activity before, I guarantee you the kids will LOVE it. (And some of the adults won’t be able to look away either!)

This Halloween STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) activity combines art and science. Plus, kids exercise their creativity as they design their jack-o-lanterns, develop fine motor skills as they place M&Ms on the plate, and get to witness a bit of “magic” (well, science disguised as magic) in the process.

Enjoy!

Note: For more kid-friendly Halloween activities, see my Halloween activities for Kids page.

Grow a candy jack-o-lantern #Halloween #STEAM #STEM activity for kids || Gift of Curiosity

To grow a candy jack-o-lantern, you will need the following materials:

  • A plate
  • Orange and brown M&Ms
  • Water

Begin by using the orange M&Ms to make a circle around the outside edge of your plate.

Grow a candy jack-o-lantern #Halloween #STEAM #STEM activity for kids || Gift of Curiosity

Then use some brown M&Ms to add a stem and face.

Grow a candy jack-o-lantern #Halloween #STEAM #STEM activity for kids || Gift of Curiosity

Slowly pour water in the middle of the jack-o-lantern 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 jack-o-lantern?

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 jack-o-lantern with orange and brown coloring.

Looking for more Halloween projects that incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM)? Then you’ll love STEAM Kids Halloween. This e-book includes 50+ pages of spooky fun STEAM activities that will wow the boredom right out of kids!

steam-kids-halloween-collage-rev

More Halloween resources

More Halloween posts from Gift of Curiosity:

  • Flying teabag ghosts
  • Mason jar jack-o-lantern
  • Candy experiments
  • Halloween Montessori activities
  • Toilet paper mummies
  • Pumpkin decomposition experiment
  • Describe a pumpkin using all five senses
  • Jack-o-lantern Printables Pack

You can find more Halloween activities and printables on my Halloween Activities for Kids page and Halloween Activities for Kids Pinterest board. 

Filed Under: Toddler, Preschool, Fall, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, Halloween, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, Science, STEAM

You May Also Enjoy These Posts

Space Sudoku puzzles {free printables}Painting with marblesMeasurement activities for kids using standard units

Reader Interactions

2 Comments

  1. Alexandra

    October 18, 2017 at 3:15 pm

    Will this work with Smarties? or Skittles? Needs to be nut free.

    Reply to this comment
    • Katie

      October 18, 2017 at 5:50 pm

      I think so. Anything with a hard, colored shell that dissolves will work.

      Reply to this comment

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hey there, I’m Katie

I help parents who are transitioning into homeschooling shed old mindsets and embrace their homeschooling superpowers so they can create a homeschool they love where their children will thrive.

Learn more about me and what I do HERE.

Hands-On

Get 10 ideas for easy, hands-on activities you can do with your kids TODAY to make learning more fun.

Check out these related products in the shop!

Toddler Skills Pack Bundle

Preschool Math Pack Bundle

Printables Pack Bundle

Measurement Activity Packs Bundle

Volcano Printables Bundle

Shop All Resources

  • Contact
  • About Me

Copyright © 2022 Gift of Curiosity  •  All Rights Reserved  •  Privacy  •  Terms of Use  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs

Posting....