Some call it stained glass candy, some call it hard tack and some call it rock candy!  Whatever you call this sweet treat, it’s delicious and beautiful to look at! In this Rock Candy Mini-Lesson & Lab you’ll find information about the history of this festive food along with a simple recipe to make in the lab. Show students how to make this candy at home with their family or turn it into a beautiful gift to giveaway or have your FCCLA or club make up jars or bags to sell as a fundraiser.

Set

• Introduce this topic via the New York Times STRANDS word search game titled, The Crystal Connection. Students can play individually or with a partner. Have students show you the SPANGRAM once they have it figured out. If you’ve never played this game or need help explaining it to your students, here are the DIRECTIONS.
• Once the topic is revealed, ask students how many of them have ever eaten this sweet treat.
• Explore more about this food with this website titled, The History of Rock Candy and having students complete the prompts below. As always, if you need the KEY to the prompts, you will need to email me or send me a message on Facebook.

Materials

• iPads or Laptops
• Projector & Screen
• Markers & Scissors
• Candy Thermometer (affiliate link)
• Wooden Meat Tenderrizer (affiliate link)
• Resealable Cellophane Bags (affiliate link)
• Mini Mason Jars (affiliate link)

Activities

• Note: There are several ways to make rock candy. I prefer the easy sheet pan version.
• Decide if all groups are making the same color of rock candy or if each group will make a different color and sharing with the class so everyone has a mixture of different colors.
• Go over the recipe noting the importance of times, temperatures and SAFETY.
• While the candy is getting up to temperature, have students create colorful, fun “punny tags” for their candy that contains the word ROCK. For example, “Have a ROCKin’ sweet day!”
• Once the candy is broken into shards or small pieces, and have been covered in powdered sugar, give students small bags or jars to put their candy into if you are making these as gifts to give to others. Secure tags with a ribbon or glue. Note: If you know people who use the yogurts that come in small glass jars or buys baby food in glass jars, you could have them save the jars for you to use for this, especially if you are going to do it annually.

Attachments

• STRANDS The Crystal Connection Game
• STRANDS Directions
• History of Rock Candy Prompts (PDF)
• Article (PDF)
• Rock Candy Recipe & Tag Templates (PDF)