Welcome to our “It’s a Sweet Life – Candy Week” – an at home camp filled with days of relaxed learning and fun activities all themed to the oh-so-fun sweets and treats! After all, what better way to get them to keep learning than to pick something they LOVE – sugar and sweets!
For this day, we turned our attention to an entertaining treat – pop rocks!! We dove a bit deeper into maple syrup and where it comes from! Read on to check out a fun filled day of learning, reading, crafts, and activities all on pop rocks!
A TYPICAL DAY
All kids are different and you can definitely vary your day with whatever works for you 🙂 Our relaxed & learning fun day kicks off with an introduction to the day’s theme. Then, we move onto videos and themed activities (reading, writing – or story telling – time, crafts, food crafts/snacks, and games or experiments). Feel free to pick and choose whatever works for you 🙂
INTRO
You may or may not already be familiar with this oh-so-interesting treat. After all, not everyone loves the feel of candy popping in their mouth 🙂 If not – or if you just want a pop rocks fact refresher, check out the links below. They’re perfect for providing a brief intro for your little ones (or to gather up some knowledge as well!)!
- Pop Rocks Facts for Kids by Kiddle
- Pop Rocks FAQ by Pop Rocks
- The History of Pop Rocks by Old Time Candy
WHAT TO WATCH
We find that mixing in a short video themed to our day is a great way to add some learning fun! We try to pick informative videos OR mix in a cartoon favorite (where they don’t even realize they’re learning). Below are some of the videos we picked from for the day:
- Are Pop Rocks Dangerous by BrainStuffWorks (3m)
- The Secret Way Pop Rocks Are Made | Unwrapped | Food Network by the Food Network (4.5 min)
FOOD CRAFTS / SNACKS
What’s more fun than taking a break and having a simple snack??? Including the snack in your theme of the day! We find that our kiddos are more than happy to eat the snacks they create especially when they can arrange them into fun shapes and scenes!
- Homemade Pop Rocks Turn Your Kitchen Into a Fun Science Experiment by Craftsy
- Pop Rocks Juice – Mix some pop rocks in water (or sprite) and you get some interesting results 🙂
READING
It’s no secret that reading is an important part of learning, which is why we pick out a handful of books that are fun and filled with some learning tidbits. For our older ones, we have them fill out some worksheets (or let them create some of their own comics) to describe what they read and/or learned! These are a few we picked from for the day:
- Pop Rocks: The Inside Story of America’s Revolutionary Candy by Marv Rudolph
The book is actually pretty lengthy and might not be the greatest fit for younger ones. Instead, they might find the sites from the intro section must more interesting and engaging!
WRITING & WRITING PROMPTS
Just like reading, writing is a great way to keep kids learning by both encouraging their creativity and thought process as well as helping them practice their motor skills and penmanship.
If you’ve got a little one, have them trace words related to the theme: SUGAR, SWEETS, CANDY, POP ROCKS, FIZZ
If you’ve got older children, have them write a sentence or two up to a page or two (depending on their age). Encourage them to be creative AND give reasons for why they made certain choices. This was our writing prompt of the day (and we offered up some examples as well) but definitely pick something your kiddo might be interested in writing about!
- If you worked for the company that created Pop Rocks, what new flavors would you add?
- Imagine you lived around the time when pop rocks were first created. Would you try them or be wary of them? Write a story about your reaction!
CREATE & CRAFT
If you’ve got a crafty little one, a simple craft is a great way to keep them interested in the topic. While their creative juices are flowing, you can also chat about what they’ve learned so far or ask them what else they’re excited about learning! Below are some of the crafts we looked at:
STEM & STEAM ACTIVITIES
While crafting and writing get their creativity and imagination flowing, we also like to add in an activity that gets them thinking along the lines of science, technology, engineering, or math! These engaging activities or experiments are a great way to keep them learning!
- Why Popping Candy Pops by Science Sparks
- Pop Rocks by Candy Experiments
- Activity – Chemistry Goes Pop! By ACS Chemistry for Life
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you for checking out our at home learning fun article! If you enjoyed this post, please let us know what you think in the comments below and/or follow us on Pinterest.
Also, if you haven’t already, check out some of our other Candy Week days, Sweets & Treats Ideas, as well as our DIY At Home Camps!
Happy Learning!
