I wanna rock . . . candy
Junior is participating in a science fair. She decided that for the fair, we’d make some rock candy. She set out to make four flavors: vanilla, cinnamon, orange and grape. I suggested that we make some bacon rock candy. She looked at me and the shirt I was wearing and said I know bacon makes it better but we don’t have to put bacon in everything.
Heh.
January 17th, 2012 at 11:53 am
Well, it looks like she doesn’t get any Bacon Candy, now does she?
January 17th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Rock candy is an excellent SciFair project – as a former judge at many elementary school SciFairs I can assure you that samples are appreciated and will be very popular.
Rock candy covers many basic science concepts – solutions, precipitation, crystallization, and so on – and can be developed to any level of scientific detail suitable to her age and knowledge level.
My daughter’s greatest SciFair accomplishment was the building, in 4th grade, of a Perpetual Motion Machine complete with explanation of how it worked – and how it did not work. Top that, if you dare!
January 17th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Rock candy is an excellent SciFair project – as a former judge at many elementary school SciFairs I can assure you that samples are appreciated and will be very popular.
Rock candy covers many basic science concepts – solutions, precipitation, crystallization, and so on – and can be developed to any level of scientific detail suitable to her age and knowledge level.
My daughter’s greatest SciFair accomplishment was the building, in 4th grade, of a Perpetual Motion Machine complete with explanation of how it worked – and how it did not work. Top that, if you dare!
And your daughter is simply rebelling on the bacon issue to demonstrate her independence. She gets some of the bacon candy, in my opinion.
January 17th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
You should put bacon in everything.
Inb other news, the St. Regis is now advertising at Says Uncle. Just under Cheaper Than Dirt – which at $595 (and up) a night, the St. Regis is not.
January 17th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
do you have a recipe for bacon rock candy?
January 17th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
She said “I know bacon makes it better but we don’t have to put bacon in everything.”
How long did you ground her for this heresy?
January 17th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
I’ve also been a judge at elementary science fairs, and (at least as described here), this isn’t a good project. The primary goal of a science fair project is to ask a question, come up with a hypothesis, design an experiment to test the hypothesis, perform the experiment, and then report the result.
What’s the experiment here?
The rock candy itself isn’t the problem, but instead of doing different flavors, you should try to come up with some question about the process of making rock candy (“what causes rock candy crystals to grow faster or slower? Or bigger or smaller?”) or something like that. Have junior come up with a theory as to the answer (is the starting water temperature? Is it how much sugar we add? Is it how fast we cool it?) and then try four different variations on the recipe to test that theory.
January 17th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Adding to Stormy Dragon’s comment,
The lazy way to write questions is to look at the project, and then write the easiest questions – what causes rock candy crystal to grow faster or slower? Do plants grow toward light or away from light? What happens when ____?
The best way is to start with a need, and then ask questions about how best to fill that need. For example, “Is it more fun to eat small bits of rock candy or big pieces of rock candy?” Then the corollaries would be “Does the flavoring make a difference?”, “How can I change the candy size?” Using a hammer may be as valid an answer as changing the reaction conditions.
January 17th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
To add.. “How can we get crystals to grow using a fat based flavor in water born candy?”
got to say, I agree with the girl, but like the challenge.
January 17th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Stormy and dusty are right. Hypothesis, Experimental Design, Data, Conclusion will do well in a Science Fair. The freebie candy for the judges might just keep them in front of the display long enough to appreciate the subtle flavors of cherry, grape, and bacon. (She has seen the error of her ways, hasn’t she?)
January 17th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Make bacon vodka first and use it as a flavoring extract, like vanilla.
January 17th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Don’t have to put bacon in everything? You should have a talk with that child…
January 17th, 2012 at 8:49 pm
K, then. No jokes in this comment, so don’t bitch about my typing skills. It’s your little girl, live with it. You don’t have to win or lose, just enjoy her company. This IS the good stuff.
January 17th, 2012 at 10:48 pm
I feel obligated to pass on this bacon jam link. Then all you need is toast and maybe an bit of egg for a full breakfast.