Creepy Crawlies & Candy Science

Science Sparks, Coffee Cups and Crayons, Wildlife Fun 4 Kids, and I shared more spooky Halloween science fun in a live video chat. This time we focused on creepy crawlies & candy science.

Make Creepy Crawlies with Candy

Aiden and I used marshmallows and pull and peel licorice to create insects.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• marshmallows
• toothpicks
• pull and peel licorice
• frosting {optional}
• wings – we used rosemary leaves {optional}

Building insects out of candy can help you learn about the parts of the insects. We used mini marshmallows, and they worked okay, but I think larger marshmallows would have worked better. The licorice legs were a bit difficult to attach to the mini marshmallows. They didn’t want to stay. I think using frosting as glue would help keep them together.

1. Connect 3 marshmallows together with toothpicks. These represent the head, thorax, and abdomen.
2. Attach 3 pieces of licorice to each side of the thorax {the middle marshmallow}. All 6 legs of an insect are attached to the thorax. You could poke the licorice into the marshmallows, but they tend to fall out easily. Using some frosting glue should help keep the licorice attached.
3. Attach 2 pieces of licorice to the head to create antennae. You can also add two little pieces of licorice for eyes.

Now you have a basic insect shape. We called ours an ant. Many insects also have wings. We added rosemary leaves to our insect. Add 4 wings to the top of the thorax.

You could build other creepy crawlies as well. Try making a spider. You’ll need 2 marshmallows and 12 pieces of licorice. Spiders have 8 legs attached to their cephalothorax {front marshmallow}. They have two smaller pedipalps {appendages near the mouth} and two jaws with fangs right next to the mouth. {Search for spider images or diagrams to see where all of the parts go.} I would recommend larger marshmallows for spider making.

Spooky Halloween Science Hangout 2: Creepy Crawlies & Candy Science

Watch the video below to see the spooky Halloween science ideas we shared:

1) I showed off our candy insects made with marshmallows and licorice.

2) Emma from Science Sparks made potions with popping candy. Learn more about experimenting with popping candy here.

3) Megan from Coffee Cups and Crayons showed us how to make the letters from M&M’s and Skittles float. Check out her M&M experiment here.

4) Penny from Wildlife Fun 4 Kids taught us a great way to observe creepy crawlies in our backyard and how to keep creepy crawlies as pets for a short time. Learn more about searching for insects, spiders, and more here.

More Halloween Science

1. Check out all of the Halloween science ideas here at Inspiration Laboratories.
2. Don’t forget to check out this month’s science challenge. You’ll find lots of Halloween science ideas. Be inspired by others, do science with your kids, and then share your own Halloween science activities with us! You have until the end of October to link up your posts. You can also share photos of your activities on our Facebook pages or in the Science for Kids community on Google+.

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