Halloween is in two days! Since our kids are now teens, our Halloween plans look different from ten years ago. Tomorrow night we are headed to a theater for a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show with friends, and then friends are coming over again on Halloween for pizza, trick or treating, and then old scary movies and a sleep over. Luckily our neighborhood is friendly to teen trick-or-treaters (they are still kids!), and they always come home with bags full of candy to eat and trade with each other.
What happens to all of the leftover candy?
Chocolate candy is perfect for chopping up and adding to brownies and cookies. Non-chocolate candy can be saved for Christmas gingerbread houses. Or, it can be saved for making science models, my favorite.
Why is building models in a high school science class a good use of time when they could just label a diagram?
Building a physical model goes beyond basic memorization to understanding what the different parts do and how they work together as a system.
Reasons provided by Google on why building models beats labeling diagrams:
- Active Problem-Solving vs. Passive Recall: Labeling a diagram tests rote memorization and recognition. Building a model requires students to translate abstract ideas into physical or spatial reality, forcing them to negotiate scale, mechanisms, and cause-and-effect relationships.
- Making Thinking Visible: When students build a model, their misconceptions immediately show up in the physical structure. A teacher can spot a flawed understanding of molecular bonding, plate tectonics, or cell division by watching how a student constructs it—something a neat 2D worksheet hides.
- Tackling the Invisible and Complex: Science deals with things that are too small (atoms, DNA), too large (solar systems), or too abstract (energy flow, climate systems) to see directly. A 3D or dynamic model lets students physically test spatial arrangements and interactions.
- Alignment with Modern Standards: Frameworks like the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize that “developing and using models” is a core scientific practice. Scientists don’t just point at pictures of data; they build predictive models to ask “what if?” questions.
- Deeper Cognitive Processing: Research shows that physical modeling slows down and deepens thinking, increases self-regulated learning, and turns an abstract set of rules into an intuitive experience
How does candy come into play with building models?
Candy is fun, delicious, and linked to great memories. Students will willingly engage their brains to choose which candy best represents different parts of a cell model. They will eagerly collect data in an evolution model. They will better understand the parts of a virus and their function when building a colorful candy model.
Need ideas on how to use candy to build models?
- Candy Cells
- Edible Energy ATP Model
- Prokaryote Pastry Bacteria Model
- Candy Capsids Virus Model
- Sweet Symmetry: Animal Body Symmetry
- Bohr Model of the Atom with Candy
- The Isotope Gummium
- Spooky Solutions with Candy Corn
While chocolate candy can be used for models, it tends to melt when handled, is more expensive, and does not store as well. Non-chocolate candy lasts much longer and can be used months later if kept in a sealed container in a climate controlled area.
If you do not have trick or treaters in your household willing to part with left over candy, the day after Halloween is a perfect time to swing by local stores and grab it on clearance!
