Polar Bear Science Experiment For Kids
A polar bear science experiment with food! Can you think of anything better to get your students engaged?
Gummy bear science is a no brainer when it comes to getting kids excited! In this experiment we used gummy bears to grow our own polar bears and to review the scientific method.
Setting Up the Experiment
For this project we worked together as a class. We followed this Scientific Method Experiment Booklet.
I decided to do the experiment in small groups. I set up 4 cups on each of the students’ tables. One was filled with water, the next filled with salt water, the third filled with vinegar, and the final cup was filled with a baking soda mixture.
Next, I placed a plate of 4 gummy bears on each table. This is when my class’s excitement really began to bubble!
Experiment Tip: Label the plate with which solution the gummy bear will be dropped in.
We reviewed what each cup contained and placed labels on the cups accordingly. This is also the point where we discussed the steps of the project, and my students made their hypothesis.
After we reviewed the project and guessed what the gummy bears would do in each liquid, it was finally time for the students to drop the gummy bear. Once the bear was dropped, I had my students note any differences between the bear now and before it had been placed in the water.
Observing multiple cups made my students feel like they were really working in a lab!
Gummy Bear Science Project Results
The mixture has to sit for at least 4 hours in order for osmosis to fully change the bear, but I prefer to leave it overnight for a more dramatic result.
However, this project is short and fun enough that it can be done on the same day as your school’s holiday event. That makes it easier for the student’s to leave the mixture alone for the 4 hours.
(The gummy bear science project is also a super fun way to end the last day of school before winter break!)
The next day, the kids came rushing in to see the results! They ran right over to their cups!
The students couldn’t believe what was waiting for them.
My students mostly predicted that the liquid solutions would all cause the gummy bear to shrink, but much to their surprise the gummy bears had grown inside the cups!
Once the kids (and myself) had settled down from discovering the results of the experiment we finished filling out the experiment guide.
This is also where I explained that osmosis caused the liquid molecules to move into the gummy and that is what caused it to grow. My students were fascinated and wanted to know more!
I know many teachers are now distance learning as well, so there’s even a Google Slides version included for completing the digital science experiment!
A lot of parents have also reached out to share that they used this for science fair projects too!
Here’s What Other Teachers are Saying:
What the Polar Bear Science Experiment Taught
I love the Polar Bear Science Experiment so much and not just because of the leftover gummy bears.
The Grow Your Own Polar Bear experiment is such a fun way to review the scientific method. My students were not only able to perform the entire scientific method, but they were able to do it while having fun!
The science project is also an easy way to explain a not so easy topic such as osmosis. After the project each student was able to explain how osmosis affects the gummy bears.
My class got a stronger understanding of osmosis after this short experiment than they did when just reading about it! Why just read when you can experiment?
Teachers were loving these scientific method notebooks! You can check out a fun slime experiment here!
Have you tried this polar bear science experiment with your class? What did you think? Do you have any tips to share?