Well, we did it. The Madison Public Library finally experienced the glass-jar activity. The library quickly accumulated all the jars we needed, thanks to generous donors who came through by mid-summer. The children, as usual, were up for anything. It was the librarians who bailed out. We started thinking about how exactly we were going to accomplish the project. Our minds boggled, so we postponed it. But one Wednesday in September, during Learning at the Library, we finally concocted Rock Candy.
Rock Candy is an oldfashioned candy that is essentially sugar crystals grown on a stick. Using an Instant Pot, we boiled three parts sugar to one part water. Each child had their own jar and could add a drop, or a generous pour, of vanilla extract, along with a hint, or a large dollop, of food coloring. Allowing each student to make their own additions resulted in a very wide variety of colors and flavors. Each child also had a skewer and a clothespin. The skewer served as the stick, while the clothespin pinched the skewer and held it upright in the center of the jar. Students prepared their skewers by rolling them in granulated sugar.
