Marshmallow Science

 

Ever tried to make a marshmallow grow really big? Try this sweet experiment and learn the science behind how a marshmallow grows while it melts in a campfire! Watch your marshmallow expand in seconds!

Standards in this lesson: 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-4, 5-PS1-4

Materials

  • CAUTION/SAFETY! This experiment contains fire and sharp objects! Grown-up supervision is required!

  • Normal sized marshmallows 

  • Campfire pit or lighter fluid and a lighter!

  • Knife

  • Marshmallow roasting sticks/skewers

  • Flat and nonflammable baking tray or plate

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Procedure

CAUTION/SAFETY: Grown-up supervision required!

Step 1

Grab a marshmallow and put it on a marshmallow skewer.

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Step 2

Ask a parent to turn on your campfire pit or turn on a lighter for you.

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Step 3

Hover the marshmallow over the campfire pit or lighter.

Step 4

Wait a couple seconds and observe what happens!

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Step 5

Place the burnt marshmallow on the tray and allow it to cool for a few seconds.

Step 6

Grab a knife and cut through it! Grab another marshmallow and compare the two!

 

Science Explanation

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade . . .

  • When you first grab a marshmallow, how does it feel? Is it hard? Is it squishy? NGSS-2-PS1-4
  • When you hover the marshmallow over the campfire pit or fire, what happens?
  • When the marshmallow is burned, can it be reversed to its original, fluffy and white, form? What do you think? (Answer: No. Once something burns, we cannot reverse it. We'd need the time stone for that.)
  • What happens to the marshmallow when you roast it? What about when it catches on fire?
  • You might have noticed that your marshmallow gets bigger when you roast it. This is because a squishy marshmallow is full of gas bubbles. When gas gets hot, it gets bigger!
  • You might have noticed that when your marshmallow burns, it gets bigger and black. Marshmallows are mostly sugar! When sugar burns, it turns black and releases water in the form of a gas (this is called water vapor). This gaseous water makes the marshmallow grow bigger! NGSS-2-PS1-1
  • Compare and contrast a normal, uncooked, marshamllow and a cooked or burned marshmallow. What are some similarities and differences?

3rd Grade - 5th Grade . . .

  • When the marshmallow is roasted or burned, can it be reversed to its original, fluffy and white, form? What do you think? (Answer: No. Once something burns, we cannot reverse it. We'd need the time stone for that.)
  • Do you think this is a chemical change or a physical change? Why or why not?
  • This is a chemical change! The chemical connections between the particles in the marshmallow are being broken and rearranged. This process is not reversible.
  • Compare and contrast a normal, uncooked, marshamllow and a cooked or burned marshmallow. What are some similarities and differences? NGSS 5-PS1-3
  • You might have noticed that your marshmallow gets bigger when you roast it. This is because a squishy marshmallow is full of gas bubbles. When gas gets hot, it gets bigger!
  • You might have noticed that when your marshmallow burns, it gets bigger and black. Marshmallows are mostly sugar! When sugar burns, it turns black and releases water in the form of a gas (this is called water vapor). This gaseous water makes the marshmallow grow bigger! NGSS 5-PS1-4

Written by Aminah Rangwala and Julia Wang Inspired by: KiwiCo

 
2nd, 5thJanice LeeThe STEAM Machine IncChemistry