December 7, 2020
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Use Christmas Science to make these beautiful Christmas Ornaments to learn while decorating your tree! This Christmas Science Experiment is lots of fun for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students. You only need a few simple materials to try this Christmas learning activity to make your holiday season extra special this December. Kids of all ages will be delighted to try to make a gumdrop Christmas tree STEM activity.

Use Christmas Science to make these beautiful Christmas Ornaments to learn while decorating your tree! This Christmas Science Experiment is lots of fun for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students. You only need a few simple materials to try this Christmas learning activity to make your holiday season extra special this December. Kids of all ages will be delighted to try to make a gumdrop Christmas tree STEM activity.

Christmas Science Experiment

One of my absolute favorite things to do during the Christmas season is make ornaments with my daughter. I know many people love their magazine perfect Christmas tree, but I like sprinkling homemade ornaments on ours! Those ornaments are filled with memories and fuzzy good feelings of spending time with my daughter! This Gumdrop Ornament is not one like what we usually make, but it is on less fun! It was actually really cool to watch. 

Gumdrop ornaments

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

Gumdrop Christmas tree stem activity

Gumdrop 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 Christmas Science Activity

Christmas Science Activity

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! 

Gumdrop Activities

Christmas Science

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! 

Gingerbread Christmas Science Experiment Magic Milk Experiment with a festive flair perfect for making learning fun in December. This Christmas Science experiment for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students is so easy and fun to watch - it does not disappoint!  peppermint candy Christmas Science Experiment

Christmas Science Experiments for Kids

Looking for more fun Christmas science ideas? Check these out!

This snowman wreath craft ideas is super cute and easy-to-make this January as a Winter craft for kids! Try this as a Christmas project or Winter activity! snow slime baking soda clay snowman activities for preschoolers

Preschool Winter Activities

If you are looking for a fun, engaging idea for your christmas lesson plans for kindergarten, you will love this Gingerbread sight words activity! This hands-on gingerbread activities for kindergartners is a sensory Christmas activity for preschool, pre-k, kinders, and first grade students perfect for December. Simply print gingerbread printables and make the quick sensory material and you are ready to read and learn! Christmas tree craft for preschoolers christmas science experiment making a lime battery christmas science activity

Preschool Christmas Crafts

Snowman Ornament Craft  Handmade Greeting Cards Snowflake Craft for Kids One of my favorite things to at Christmas is the beautiful candles that adorn windows and decorate inside. This simple construction paper Christmas craft is a great way for kids to recreate this holiday staple with an easy Christmas candle craft. Use this Christmas craft ideas for kindergarten, preschool, pre-k, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd graders too.

December Coloring Pages free-Christmas-Patterns-for-Preschoolers-440x1024 Christmas-I-Spy-worksheets Help kids explore and learn while having fun this holiday season with this super cool Ornaments christmas science experiments. In this Christmas STEM Project, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade students will use a battery, magnet, and copper wire to make a motor to make free printable ornaments go around like a merry go round. This is a simple electronics project that will surely engage and impress students throughout the month of December. Don't miss this spinning science project that makes the best christmas activities for kindergarten. 

Christmas worksheets

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Deanna Hershberger is a work at home mom, coffee obsessed, a diy addict and a Netflix binger. She spends her days playing and making with her daughter and enjoys quiet nights at home with her husband. She shares all of this on her blog Play Dough & Popsicles.

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