Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

Science curriculum for K—5th grades.

90 sec
  • Hands-on — lead students in the doing of science and engineering.
  • Standards-aligned science lessons — Cover core standards in 1-2 hours of science per week.
  • Less prep, more learning — prep in minutes not hours. Captivate your students with short videos and discussion questions.

Sign up now to try Mystery Science for free.

Sign up

Learn more

Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

Sign up now for tons of free lessons like this one!

Back

Mini-lessons

Video Bonus Vote
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Slide Image
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
5
This log made of sugar weighs almost 100 pounds (45 kg)! What do you think it will look like when the candy makers are done?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
5
The log is stretched and twisted and bent to make a familiar treat. But that seems strange. If you try to stretch or bend a candy cane, it will just break. So how do the candy makers do it?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
5
In this factory, where workers are making candy by hand, you can see the answer. See those flames? When the candy is hot, you can stretch and bend it. When it cools, you can’t!
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Slide Image
4
There’s a sweet message on each of these candies. How did it get there? Do you think someone writes on each candy?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
4
Like candy cane makers, these workers start with a log of heated sugar. Watch them arrange the colors inside. What happens as they stretch the log? How could you put a picture in a candy log?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
4
There are so many possibilities! Try to figure out what will be on these candies before the candy makers finish!
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
3
In this factory, sugar is beaten to make a fluffy batter and shaped into Peeps. Like marshmallows, Peeps are soft and spongy because they’re full of air bubbles. Here’s a weird experiment to try...
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
3
You could put a Peep on a plate, and put it in a microwave for 30 seconds. (If you have an adult to help you, you could try this yourself.) Watch what happens! Any idea why that happened?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
3
Here’s why: The microwave heats up the Peep. The sugar melts and gets gooey. As the air bubbles that make the Peep so soft and spongy get hot, they get bigger. And so does the Peep!
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
2
This hot, sweet liquid gets squeezed into containers shaped like bears! Watch what candy you get when it cools off! What container could you put the liquid in to get gummy WORMS instead?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
2
You need a container that’s long and skinny...like a straw! When the liquid is cool, you can just squeeze out the gummy worm and have a snack. Yum!
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
1
For hundreds of years, Japanese candy artists have been shaping warm, sugary blobs of candy into animal shapes. Can you tell what animals these artists are making before the video ends?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
1
Here’s another surprise: some of these candies end up looking a lot like tiny glass sculptures. Can you tell which of these photos are of candy animals and which are glass animals?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
1
Only one of the clear animals was made of candy! Watch this artist make it.
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Slide Image
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?

Voting for this episode is now closed. Would you like to vote on the most recent poll?

We pulled three questions from our jar. Which question do you want to explore?

  • What happens to animals as they wake up from hibernation?

    -Knox, 4th Grade

  • Do you have to be tall to be good at basketball?

    -Joey, 3rd Grade

  • Why does it rain so much in the rainforest?

    -Abby, 4th Grade

Who invented candy?

Watch the video to discover the answer and don't forget to vote for next week's question. There are mysteries all around us. Have fun and stay curious!