MISSION VERIFIED
Classroom tested. Teacher designed. Safe at home.
Designed by Darin Carr (BScDip Ed)
Practising NESA accredited
Australian Science Teacher
★ 30+ years of classroom experience
MISSON PROGRESS
young scientists have completed this mission.
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LATEST TEACHER FEEDBACK
"The kids loved it. I also liked how it helped structure their thinking and predicting".
Year 6 Science Specialist
Mr Tam
Before you investigate... watch the mystery
MISSION HOOK
Professor Picklebottom and the team are travelling and collecting amazing science mysteries.
✔ Coming in Term 1 2027
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Mission Equipment
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1 normal birthday candle
2–4 coloured flame birthday candles
Matches or a lighter
An adult helper
Observation sheet
A darker room (optional)
Let’s Investigate
Follow the missions steps below to solve the mystery.
2
Make Your Prediction
Before lighting any candles, carefully look at the normal birthday candle and the coloured-flame candles.
Talk with your family and decide what you think will happen when each candle burns.
Write down your prediction before you begin the investigation.
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
3
Test the Normal Candle
Observe a Normal Flame
With an adult helping you, light the normal birthday candle.
Watch the flame carefully for about 20 seconds.
Look closely at the colour, brightness and shape before blowing it out.
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
4
Test the Mystery Candle
Light one coloured-flame candle.
Watch carefully.
Can you find three differences between the normal flame and the mystery flame?
Observe for around 20 seconds before blowing it out.
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
5
Investigate More Colours
Try another coloured-flame candle.
Do all coloured candles produce the same flame?
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
6
Follow the Clues
You've discovered that not all candles produce the same flame colour.
Now it's time to become a science detective!
Look carefully at your candles and their packaging for clues.
Use everything you observed during your investigation to decide which explanation seems most likely.
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
7
Making Science Connections
If these tiny birthday candles can make colourful flames...
How do giant fireworks produce so many different colours?
Could scientists use coloured flames to identify mystery substances?
See the 'Science Behind it" graphiuc for more connections.
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Which candle do you think will produce the most unusual flame? Why?
2
Make Your Prediction
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Which candle do you think will produce the most unusual flame? Why?
2
Make Your Prediction
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Which candle do you think will produce the most unusual flame? Why?
2
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Which candle do you think will produce the most unusual flame? Why?
Professor Picklebottom
Fireworks in a Candle!
Professor Picklebottom was getting ready for a birthday party when something very unusual caught his eye. One candle burned with a normal yellow flame... but another suddenly glowed green!
"Fire shouldn't change colour... should it?" he wondered.
Join Professor Picklebottom as you investigate the secret hidden inside coloured-flame candles.
Could this tiny birthday candle reveal the same amazing science behind spectacular fireworks... and even help scientists understand what atoms are made of?
Ages
5-12 yrs
Duration
min
10
Difficulty
Easy
Stage
Stage 2-3
Cite this resource
Created by Darin Carr (BSc, DipEd)
NESA Accredited Teacher · Chemistry & Physics Specialist · 30+ years in-class teaching
Resource Version: 1.0
First Published:
Last Updated:
21 July 2026
The Crazy Scientist LAB Learning System™
Every experiment follows The Crazy Scientist Lab Learning System™ — a simple way to help kids think like real scientists.
We
-
LINK to what they already know,
-
ACTIVATE curiosity through hands-on discovery
-
BUILD understanding that actually sticks.
Have you ever watched colourful fireworks explode across the night sky?
Or maybe you've noticed that some birthday candles burn with green, blue or purple flames instead of the usual yellow.
Those amazing colours aren't just beautiful—they're clues.
For hundreds of years, scientists noticed that different substances could produce different coloured flames. They wondered whether those colours could reveal what a substance was made from.
Today you'll investigate whether a tiny birthday candle can uncover the same mystery hidden inside giant fireworks.
You discovered that not every flame looked the same.
Now think like a scientist.
Was it the coloured wax that changed the flame?
Could the wick have been different?
Or was there something hidden inside the candle that you couldn't see?
Scientists don't jump straight to the answer. They collect evidence, compare observations and test different explanations until one best matches the evidence.
What explanation do you think fits your observations best?
Your investigation showed that something inside the coloured candles must be different from a normal birthday candle.
Scientists eventually discovered that certain substances produce their own unique flame colours when they become very hot.
This discovery became one of the most useful tools in science.
Today it helps scientists:
identify unknown substances
design colourful fireworks
investigate materials in chemistry laboratories
discover what distant stars are made from—even though they can never visit them.
In the Science Behind It section, you'll discover how tiny particles inside atoms produce these spectacular colours.
"Want the full teacher guide? The Crazy Scientist Lab includes classroom delivery tips, how to manage the WOW moment, differentiation for Stage 2 & 3, — ready to teach tomorrow."
Think Like a Scientist
Scientists don't just do ONE experiment; they change one part of the experiment (independent variable) and then see how it affects another part of the experiment
(dependent variable)
Change ONE variable and test again.
What happens if you compare coloured-flame candles from different brands?
What happens if you compare the flame in a bright room and a dark room?
Dr Puddledrip’s Science Tip
🧪 Try it! Change ONE thing and test again. What did you discover?
Want to go deeper? Tap a section below to explore. ▼
The Science Behind It (Text)
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
The Science Behind It (Graphic)
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
Extension: HPGE / Gifted Learners
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
Vocabulary
Know a parent or teacher who'd love this? Send it on! 👇
READY TO TEACH THIS
TOMORROW?
Running the experiment is easy; however, teaching it well is another challenge.
Teachers often ask:
How do I adapt this for Stages 1,2 or 3?
What misconceptions will they have?
What syllabus outcomes does it cover?
What do I do with fast finishers?
How do I structure this for a full class?
What do I say when they ask WHY?
BUILD AROUND THE LAB LEARNING SYSTEM™
Every resource is designed using our teaching framework.
Continue Your Discovery
One simple experiment can lead to amazing discoveries in science, history, engineering and the real world. Where would you like to explore next?
Every resource is designed using our teaching framework.
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