One fish, two fish, dissolving fish!! Try out this fun science experiment for Read Across America Week that perfectly pairs with Dr. Seuss’s One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish book.

This science activity explores solubility. You can find most of the materials needed for this activity right in your pantry! We will be using rubbing alcohol, vinegar, cooking oil, and water, but you could also try using other liquids such as milk, soda, juice, or even hydrogen peroxide.

You will need:

• Gummy Fish
• Small Glass or Plastic Jars
• Water
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Vinegar
• Cooking oil
• Free Experiment Recording & Observation Sheet

The Question: Which liquid is a best for dissolving candy fish?

Step 1: Put one gummy fish in each of the four jars. Make a prediction with your students. “What do you think will happen to the candy fish when you put them in the jar of water, alcohol, vinegar, and oil? Will something different happen or will the same thing happen in each jar? Have your children record their predictions on my FREE experiment recording and observation sheet!

Step 2: Pour one liquid into each jar. We used water, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and cooking oil. Have your students draw the jars on the BEFORE section of the recording sheet.

Step 3: Observe the jars for at least a few hours. We observed them in the morning and the afternoon. You can even observe them the next day. Choose your time frame. Make observations with your students. Have them record their observations on their recording sheet. “What is happening to the candy fish? Has anything changed in each jar?” Discuss the observations with your students.

Step 4: Draw what the fish in the jars look like on the AFTER section of the recording sheet. Compare the pictures and talk about what happened with your students. “Which jars had a change and which didn’t? Why do you think this happened?” Have students record their thoughts in the Explanation section of their recording sheet.

The Science Behind the Dissolving Fish

In the dissolving fish experiment, we are experimenting with solubility. Solubility is how well something, a solute, is able to dissolve in a solvent. The solute is the substance that is being dissolved by another substance, or solvent. In this case, our solute is our candy gummy fish. The solvent is the substance in which other substances, or solutes, can be dissolved. In this case, our solvent is the water, alcohol, vinegar, and cooking oil.

The purpose of this experiment is to figure out which liquid is the best solvent for dissolving the candy gummy fish!

Don’t forget to download the free experiment recording and observation sheet!

Free Experiment Recording & Observation Sheet

Be sure to check out my other Read Across America Week Activities by clicking the images below: