This year Nixie wants to focus on the animal kingdom and we've been loosely following Blossom & Roots third grade science curriculum. It's a really wonderful resource but I always love to add more hand-on and creative projects to the topics that interest us. We had already delved into learning about the ocean, corals and the coral reef a year ago but Nixie wanted to learn about it again so we made these edible coral reef treats.

Edible Coral Reef

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What You'll Need:

  • Chocolate
  • Rock Candy sprinkles or other sprinkles
  • Large marshmallows
  • toothpicks
  • pull-away Twizzlers 

What To Do:

1. Begin by melting your chocolate over a double boiler

2. While your chocolate is melting make 6 holes in a circle underneath your marshmallow (this is where your tentacles will go)

3. Roll your marshmallow in the chocolate, covering the sides completely. This is the exoskeleton of the coral (the hard calcium carbonate)

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4. Next, add the sprinkles. This will be the the living zooxanthellae, the helpful algae, that live sin the coral's tissue.

5. Next, add the Twizzlers by pushing a strand into the holes you made earlies in your marshmallow with a toothpick. These will be the tentacles.

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