I don’t know if this happens to you, but it happens to me quite frequently. Let me explain…I can go for a long time never seeing anything about a specific topic and then all of a sudden it’s everywhere!  This happened with homemade marshmallows. All of a sudden, I’m seeing videos, blog posts, social media feeds, etc. about homemade marshmallows everywhere. Maybe it was my sign to create this Marshmallows: Mini-Lesson & Lab for you to use with your students!

Set

• Intro Activity: Scramble the letters in the word MARSHMALLOWS and write them on the board. The first person to guess the word correctly wins a prize…a marshmallow, of course!
• Have students learn a little more about marshmallows by viewing this short video: Marshmallows: The History of This Ooey, Gooey Treat! Tell students to just watch and listen as this info will be used later.
• After viewing, have students participate in a BRAIN DUMP review activity where you set a timer for 3 minutes and have them write down everything they can remember about marshmallows. Then discuss what they remembered and recorded. If you wanted you could play it like the Elimination Game where students earn points for remembering unique things that no one else does.  Winner is the student with the most points.  The prize…you guessed it, a marshmallow!

Materials

• iPad or Laptop
• Projector & Screen
• Candy Thermometers (affiliate link)
• Parchment Paper (affiliate link)
• Lab Supplies

Activities

• Explain to students that they will be making homemade marshmallows and comparing them to premade, store bought marshmallows. However, before doing this, there is some vocab to understand.
• Place students into groups of 2-4 and give each group an envelope. Students must match the vocabulary term to its purpose or function in the marshmallow making process. You could set a timer, if desired. Once the matches are made, go over the correct answers. Again, the winning team receives a marshmallow!
• Pass out the recipes, pre-lab questions and predictions for students to answer. I would also take this time to show them a candy thermometer and how it works. Note: This is a two day lab…one day to prepare. The second day is to cut the marshmallows, sample and compare to the store bought versions using the provided resources below.
• After students have completed the comparisons, survey them on their preferred marshmallows and make connections to their initial predictions. Finally, ask students if making homemade marshmallows is worth their time? Ask why some people might prefer to make their own despite the time involved. Discuss their answers.

Attachments

• Marshmallow Vocabulary Match Game (PDF)
• Marshmallow Recipe, Pre-Lab Questions, Prediction & Comparison (PDF)