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Watch this one together

~5 min · materials: optional grown-up demo: a candle, matches or a lighter, in a draft-free spot

What happens to a birthday candle's smoke right after you blow it out?

The wispy trail of smoke that rises from a just-blown-out birthday candle — the moment right after the wish, before the smoke fades.

Talk about it

  • Blow out a candle together and watch the smoke — then ask: what do you think that smoke is actually made of?
  • Tell them the flame never really touches the wick — it floats just above it. So what's burning down there?
  • Have a grown-up try the real relight-from-the-smoke trick once, then ask the kid to explain why it only worked when you were quick.
Watch it together

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