Today we have a super fun growing gummies science experiment that kids of all ages will love! Watch as these plain gummy worms grow using only water! How cool? This science experiment is simple, fun, and tasty. Oh, and educational, can’t forget that. Try this growing gummies experiment at home or in the classroom.

Growing Gummies Experiment

Gummies are delicious! We love gummy bears, worms, really any gummies and you can use them for science experiments. This science experiment is gonna show us how easily water is absorbed. It’s a great representation of how water is absorbed by the cells in our body.

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Related: Download and print our scientific method steps for kids printable!

Supplies Needed For This Growing Gummies Experiment

How To Set Up This Growing Gummies Experiment

Step 1

Measure your gummy worms before you start your experiment. Write that measurement down.

Step 2

In one glass bowl, put 1/3 cup of water. Add the salt and stir it in. Add 3 gummy worms.

Step 3

Now, in your other glass bowl, put the rest of the water in. Add the 3 last gummy worms.

Growing Gummies- 2 bowls of gummy worms with 2 children and a red background- kids activities blog — Let the gummies sit overnight.

Step 4

Let them sit overnight.

Step 5

Predict what will happen. How are they going to look? In the morning, measure the gummy worms. Were you right?

This Growing Gummy Experiment Explained

Growing gummies- two kids measuring gummies on a white piece of paper with a tape measure- kids activities blog — Measure your gummies. How much did they grow?

Both bowls of gummy worms should have grown. But why is that? It is because gummy worms are made of water, sugar, and gelatin. They’re like a sponge and absorb water. However, the gelatin keeps the gummy worms from dissolving into the water.

Osmosis is when water movies through a special barrier, aka semi-permeable membrane. A semi-permeable membrane is like a filter with super small holes that only lets some things in like water (not salt or sugar). Water always moves from where there is a lot of water to where there is less water. And it keeps moving until both sides are balanced.

This is why the worms in the bowl of plain water grew more than the salt water.

The skin of the gummy acts like a semi-permeable membrane. Since there is more water in the cup, the water moves in, and the gummy grows!

This is how the cells in our body work too! Cool, right?

Growing Gummies Science Experiment

Let's make gummy worms grow with this science experiment! This experiment will show how osmosis works and show kids how water enters our cells.

Materials

Ruler
2 Glass Bowls
2/3 Cup Warm Water
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Spoon
6 Gummy Worms

Instructions

Measure your gummy worms before you start your experiment. Write that measurement down.
In one glass bowl, put 1/3 cup of water. Add the salt and stir it in. Add 3 gummy worms.
Now, in your other glass bowl, put the rest of the water in. Add the 3 last gummy worms.
Let them sit overnight.
Predict what will happen. How are they going to look? In the morning, measure the gummy worms. Were you right?