Have a little fun (and introduce a bit of science) making wriggling, jiggling worms from gelatin. According to the National Confectioner’s Association, July 15 is Gummi Worm Day. Although no one will be mailing out Happy Gummi Worm Day cards, parents and children can make an edible treat to share.
Ingredients for Gelatin Worms
- One packet of unflavored gelatin
- 2/3 cup juice, any flavor
- Other materials: saucepan, straight drinking straws, square or rectangular cake pan, rolling pin
Make an Edible Worm Craft
- Boil the 2/3 cup of juice.
- Pour one packet of unflavored gelatin into a square or rectangular cake pan. Add the boiling juice and mix until the gelatin dissolves.
- Cool until the gelatin is warm. The gelatin shouldn’t be setting, but it shouldn’t be so hot it is uncomfortable or dangerous to touch.
- Have the children sink straws into the gelatin so the straws fill with the mixture. Set a butter knife on top of the straws if they float.
- Refrigerate three hours or until the gelatin is set. The longer the gelatin is refrigerated, the firmer the worms will become.
- Pull the gelatin-filled straws from the pan and set onto a cutting board or clean countertop so the straws are aiming away from you.
- Take a rolling pin and roll the straws from the end closest to you up to the other end of the straw. The worms should squeeze out of the straws.
- If desired, cut the worms in half.
- Optional: Make a "dirt cup" dessert. Fill a bowl with chocolate pudding. Sprinkle crushed chocolate cookies on top. Poke a gelatin worm or two into the "dirt." Chill until ready to serve.
The Science of Gelatin
Gelatin molecules are polymers that look like cages. When gelatin is heated in water, the molecules break apart. As the gelatin cools, the molecules take on their cage-like shape again. However, this time, the gelatin molecules form around a drop of water.
The gelatin, or gel, acts a bit like a liquid (it jiggles) and a bit like a solid (the water no longer flows the way it did as a liquid). Gel is the term for a liquid floating in a solid. Gels are one type of colloid. A colloid is created when one substance scatters evenly through another substance. In the case of a gel, water is scattered through the protein in the gelatin.
Whether parents and children make their own batch of worms on July 15 for Gummi Worm Day or another day of the year, children can learn the science behind why gelatin jiggles.
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