My daughter loves experimenting with the classic Skittles experiment, so we thought we would adapt it to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. We love Royal crafts so designed this Royal crown STEM Skittles experiment for kids, perfect for a little STEM exploration at home.

With the Platinum Jubilee being celebrated across the United Kingdom next month we thought it would be fun to make a decorated Royal crown out of Skittles. You don’t need much equipment. Just a big bag of Skittles, a white plate, and a jug of cold water.

Royal crown STEM skittles experiment for kids

My daughter designed a simple crown shape.

Then she decorated it with a mixture of the coloured sweets.

Of course she ate most of the sweets but managed to create a recognisable crown. Then we poured a little water onto the plate.

We made sure to pour the water slowly enough that the sweets didn’t move out of place, but enough to cover them.

Quite quickly the colours leeched out from the sweets.

The food colouring in the sweets is very strong and creates a pretty pattern.

So why does this happen? Well the Skittles are covered in sugar and food colouring which dissolve as the water touches them. The coloured water then slowly moves around the plate.

The above process took a few minutes but we left the experiment out a little longer. Eventually all the colour came away from the sweets but the coloured water didn’t really change much more.

You may be interested in our other Royal crafts and activities:

Easy Platinum Jubilee gingerbread crowns

Crafts for toddlers to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Crafts for kids to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee