Growing A Gummy Bear
Check out osmosis in action with this simple experiment your children are sure to love.
Growing A Gummy Bear
The kids love questioning why things occur. I have found that letting them experiment with their question is an excellent way to have fun and answer their questions. In this week’s science experiment, we will be growing a gummy bear. It is a fun and straightforward way to learn about the process of osmosis. Before we get started, please take a moment and pin this post to your science board.

What is osmosis?
Osmosis is a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, thus equalizing the concentrations on each side of the membrane. Basically, this means that water tends to move from wet places to drier places.
Today we are going to explore osmosis with gummy bears and water! Here are all the details so you can try it with your children.
Growing a Gummy Bear Supplies
What you will need:
- water
- small cup or bowl
- gummy bear candy
- ruler
- pencil
- journal
- crayons
Result Timing: Overnight
Growing a Gummy Bear Experiment Part 1
What to do:
- First, in your journal draw an outline of your gummy bear.
- Next measure your gummy bear with a ruler the length from top to bottom and the width from side to side.
- Then label this information BEFORE. Write down any observations and your predictions or hypothesis about what you think will happen when you leave a gummy bear in water overnight.
- Next, you will put the gummy bear in the cup or bowl and cover it just enough with water.
- Let the gummy near soak in the water overnight.
Growing a Gummy Bear Experiment Part 2
- Check the gummy bear in the morning.
- Outline your gummy bear now and measure it again.
- Record your measurements in your journal and write down any observations.
- Label this AFTER.
- Check if your prediction was correct.
Growing A Gummy Bear Experiment In Action!
How The Growing A Gummy Bear Experiment works
The gummy bear grows bigger because it soaks up the water. This process is called osmosis. Water naturally moves from areas that have a high water content to areas nearby that have less water. Osmosis tries to balance the “wetter” area with “drier” ones so that there isn’t as much of a difference in the water content between the two areas. A gummy bear contains very little water. When you put it into a bowl of water, the “dry” gummy bear attracts water and grows as it holds more water. Try this experiment with different liquids, and compare the results. Try saltwater, sugar water, vinegar, milk, and baking soda water.
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