Science Week lesson plan: Chocolate structures (EYFS/KS1/KS2)

Resources

• Lots of chocolate in all shapes, sizes and types
• Marshmallows, cereal hoops and other small food items
• Reusable, metal water bottles
• Hand-hot water

Show

1. Add hand-hot water to the metal bottle and put the lid on firmly.
2. Hold the edge of a piece of chocolate against the bottle’s side, keeping hands away from the bottle’s surface.
3. When the edge of the chocolate piece has melted, use as a ‘cement’ to join it to another piece of chocolate or to other edible items.

Explain

When heated, chocolate undergoes a physical change, from a solid to a liquid. As it cools it returns to being a solid. Chocolate melts between 30–40°C which is why chocolate is ‘melt in the mouth’.

Suggest

• Can you make a tall chocolate tower?
• What other super-structures could you make?
• Does some chocolate make better ‘cement’ than others?
• How strong are your chocolate structures?

Download PDF

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Love to Investigate is a set of 126 scientific investigations that encourage children to be curious, ask questions and explore the world around them.

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