Frequent readers of TPL Kids jokes will know what a bear with no teeth is called. Are you ready to graduate to gummy bear science?
Gummy bears grow bigger in water because of osmosis. Osmosis is when things move through a barrier (or a semipermeable membrane, to use a science term) from a high concentrated solution to a low concentrated solution. For example, when you put a tea bag in water, the tea moves from where there are a lot of tea particles (the tea bag), to where there aren't a lot of tea particles (the glass of water).
This also happens when you put gummy bears in water. In this case, the gummy bear doesn't have any water in it, but there is a lot of water around it. The water moves into the gummy bear. In other words, the gummy bear absorbs lots of water, which is why it grows in size!
Make it a fun experiment with a grown-up's help. Use the scientific method! Try putting gummy bears in different liquids like salt water, milk or vinegar. What do you think will happen? Time the experiment and measure the bears before and after. Was your hypothesis correct?
Image source: "Gummi Bears" by ahisgett is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
