Cooking & Food Science STEM Activities for Kids (38 results)
Who doesn't love food? It's fun to make, it's fun to eat, it's fun to ...study? That's right! There is a lot of science that goes into the everyday foods that you love. Explore questions such as how baking ingredients work, how and why certain ingredients mix well together, and why people's tastes differ.
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STEM Activity
267 reviews
Have you ever made ice cream? It can be a lot of fun, and you end up with a tasty frozen treat! There is actually a lot of interesting chemistry that goes on behind making ice cream. For example, think about how you start out with refrigerated (or room-temperature) ingredients and then need to cool them down to turn them turn into ice cream. How do the ingredients change during this process? How important do you think it is that they are cooled to a certain temperature? In this science…
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STEM Activity
30 reviews
Did you know you can grow your own lollipop? In this activity, you'll learn how to grow your very own rock candy. It is an easy process and not labor-intensive. So, what are you waiting for? See how large you can grow your sugar crystals before temptation takes over.
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STEM Activity
36 reviews
Do you enjoy ice-cold drinks? A slushy is about as close as you can get to liquid ice: colder than water, but more drinkable than ice! Using some common household items, a little bit of patience, and the help of science, you can make this delicious, sweet drink at home. Try the activity, and you will be rewarded with a delightful treat!
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STEM Activity
Did you know that the seaweed you've seen in the ocean or even eaten as a snack is inspiring innovators to imagine new materials? Large
brown algae, like kelp, contains polymers—long chains of molecules—that are more environmentally friendly than the ones in most plastics. These natural polymers (alginates) could eventually be used to create sustainable everyday objects. Try your hand at using a bit of chemistry to turn biodegradable polymers from algae into your own custom…
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STEM Activity
10 reviews
Have you ever wondered why apple slices turn brown once you cut them or why a yellow banana gets dark spots over time? Both of these phenomena have the same cause: enzymatic browning triggered by an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). In this activity you will find out how this enzyme works by turning a banana from yellow to brown in just a matter of seconds. Then you will explore how you can keep your apple slices looking fresh!
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STEM Activity
6 reviews
Ever wondered how the boba in bubble tea are made? Bubble tea or boba tea is a sweetened drink made of flavored tea, milk and bubbles. The translucent, squishy bubbles called boba are remarkably easy to make. You only need three ingredients: tapioca flour, water, and brown sugar. The skill lays in one little detail: the temperature of the water used. Curious? Try it out and make bubble tea from scratch!
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STEM Activity
21 reviews
Have you ever tried adding green food coloring to your milk? Or blue coloring to the butter you spread on your bread? You may not have tried this, but for years, scientists have studied the effect of color and food appearance on how food tastes. Believe it or not, our eyes are an important part of how we taste and perceive food! In this activity, you will learn about how you can trick your taste buds—with just a little food coloring!
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STEM Activity
18 reviews
Whether you are huddled around a fireplace, or drinking hot chocolate after a day in the snow, nothing says fun quite like a marshmallow! Even its name is soft and spongy! Have you ever wondered how marshmallows are made? Long ago marshmallows were actually made from a plant, the marshmallow plant, but today we usually make them using a few key ingredients, namely gelatin, corn syrup, and sugar. In this appetizing activity you will get to explore what ratio of sugar to corn syrup produces…
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STEM Activity
6 reviews
What is your favorite type of candy? Have you ever wondered why you like this candy so much? Is it its taste, how it feels in your mouth, or both?
Cooks and food scientists study how substances dissolve or melt to create a unique and pleasant sensation in the mouth and optimize the release of flavor. Would you like to know how your favorite candy works? In this science activity, you will study two types of candy and discover what makes them so enjoyable.
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STEM Activity
2 reviews
Make your own rainbow candy in this fun STEM activity! You will do it without using any food coloring. Instead, you will use a light-bending phenomenon called diffraction.
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STEM Activity
2 reviews
Do you have a favorite M&Ms or Skittle candy color? Have you ever wondered what dyes are used to make that particular color? Some candies are the color they are because of a single food coloring, while others may use a couple different dyes to create just the right appearance. In this activity you’ll get to do some scientific detective work at home to investigate which colored M&M’s candies use which dyes. If you have some M&M’s leftover…
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