Gumdrops Ornaments Made with Christmas Science Experiment

Use science to make these beautiful gumdrop Christmas ornaments to learn while decorating your tree this December! This christmas preschool science activities is lots of fun for toddler, pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students. You only need a few simple materials to try this stem christmas ornaments learning activity to make your holiday season extra special.

gumdrop christmas ornaments

Looking for a fun and educational way to decorate your tree this December? Try making beautiful gumdrop Christmas ornaments using science! This engaging STEM activity is perfect for toddlers, pre-k, kindergarten, and first-grade students, providing them with a hands-on experience that blends creativity with learning.

With just a few simple materials—gumdrops, toothpicks or skewers, and some festive decorations—you can help your little ones explore concepts like geometry, patterns, and even basic chemistry. As they build their ornaments, children will learn about shapes by creating different structures and designs. Encourage them to express their creativity by suggesting color patterns or experimenting with the stability of their designs.

Science isn’t just for the classroom; it can be part of our holiday traditions too! Studies have shown that integrating fun, interactive activities into learning helps children retain information better and develop critical thinking skills. Plus, decorating the tree with your handmade ornaments will create lasting memories and a sense of accomplishment.

We have lots more christmas activities for kindergartners and kindergarten science to choose from! Plus don’t miss fizzy ornaments, fun spinning christmas tree experiment, easy Christmas magic milk, and December crafts for kids.

christmas preschool science activities

• Gumdrops
• Christmas Tree Cookie Cutter (heat safe)
• Crisco / Cooking Spray
• Parchment Paper
• Cookie Sheet
• Oven Preheated @ 350 F

preschool holiday science activities

We started this science experiment out with a Christmas tree cookie cutter. It needs to be metal, and heat safe. Spray the inside of the cookie cutter with cooking spray or spread Crisco on to the inside.

Put a piece of parchment paper onto a cookie sheet and place your cookie cutter(s) on it. Add in one layer of gumdrops to fill the cookie cutter. We had to squeeze some of the gumdrops into the corners, but it worked.

At this point, ask children what do you think will happen when we put it in the oven? Will it change colors? Will it get big and puffy? Will it melt? Will it turn hard? Once they’ve made their hypothesis it is time to try the experiment.

gumdrop ornament

Pop the cookie sheet into the preheated oven. We left it in for 20 minutes. I was hoping that it wasn’t going to completely melt and ooze all over, which it didn’t! I was surprised, honestly.

While it was in the oven, we talked about how heat works on food or solid objects like gumdrops. We discussed solids versus liquid and gas. We can to the determination that a gum drop is more of a solid than anything else. When we checked on the gum drops the first time, though, we poked one with a butter knife. It was softer than it was before. We put it back in for longer. 

When we finally took it out for good the gum drops were almost a playdough consistency. Obviously they were too hot to touch but if it weren’t for the heat, you could probably mold it just like playdough. We did use the butter knife to squish some of the gum drops closer together so they would hopefully stay in place, connected to the rest. This worked! 

stem christmas ornaments

We let the Gumdrop Christmas Tree cool for a little bit and then took the cookie cutter off. The sticky didn’t ruin the cookie cutter either, I was nervous about that!  There are holes in between some of the gumdrops that can be used to put a string through and make an ornament. How fun is this?? 

Like everything around us, candy is made up of molecules. The individual molecules of candies are packed so tightly together that they can’t move. That’s why they’re solid. When the candy molecules are warmed in the oven however, they start moving around, making the candy melt into more of a liquid. The temperature where solids melt is called its melting point. At this point the gumdrops are a playdough consistency and ooze together. When the gumdrops cool once again they again take on a solid shape.

It is easy to explore candy science, because it is candy!  We used the scientific method to help our exploration process!