STREAM With Stained Glass Sweets

Finding ways to have fun with your child that are both educational and enjoyable can be tough, but with this colorful and delicious candy-making project you can bring together science, technology, religion, and art. It’s crucial to bring STREAM out of the classroom and into real-life situations to help your child see that science can be really fun!What You’ll Need

• Clear, colorful hard candy (Lifesavers and Jolly Ranchers are perfect)
• Cookie cutters (Use religious symbols, such as a cross or angel, to incorporate faith-based discussions while making and eating the candy)
• A clean hammer or meat pounder
• Plastic zipper bags
• Oven
• Baking sheet
• Cooking spray
• Eye protection (If you don’t have safety glasses, sunglasses will do)

How to Make It

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unwrap the candies and sort them into bowls according to color.
3. Have your child make note of whether the candy is clear, cloudy, or looks like glass.
4. Keep the colors separate and double bag the candies.
5. Have your child put on their safety glasses and crush the candies in their double-bags using a small hammer or meat pounder.
6. Have your child make note of what the candies look like once crushed — are they clear still? If not, how can your child make them look clear again?
7. Put the crushed candy in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.
8. Coat a baking sheet in cooking spray.
9. Have your child arrange their cookie cutters on the baking sheet, then spray them with cooking spray as well.
10. Let your child arrange the crushed candy into the cookie cutters however they wish! Ideally, the candy will be about ½ inch thick inside the cookie cutters.
11. Ask your child what he or she thinks will happen when the candy melts — will the candies combine? Will the candy look clear again? Will the small pieces stick together?
12. Put the baking sheet in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes or until the candy has melted. Don’t over-melt, or the candy will run out of the cookie cutters.
13. Remove the baking sheet and let it cool before showing your children.
14. Once the candy is cool to the touch, help your child remove her masterpieces from the cookie cutters. Like real stained glass, the candy will be fragile, and some pieces may crack or break as you remove them.
15. Ask your child if the candy looks the way she expected.
16. While you enjoy the fruits of your labor, discuss the cookie cutter shapes you chose to use, and why those shapes are significant to our Catholic faith.

While your child is making her masterpiece, explain the science behind it! Clear, hard candy has what food scientists call a “glass structure.” As corn syrup and melted sugar combine, it creates long sugar chains, and those chains prevent crystals from forming. This gives us our finished result of hard candy!Osceola private schools proclaim the Gospel message within an academic environment of excellence that challenges students to be creative and critical thinkers. To learn more about what makes us different, contact us at 407-246-4800.