Crystal Ornaments

You might think that crystal ornaments are just for the holiday season, but let's be honest... science can happen anytime. You can make crystal ornaments with a variety of different solutions, so you should be able to do it at home without having to get anything new.

Making a crystal formation is pretty simple-- you need to make a super-saturated solution of dissolved material, and as the liquid cools, the crystals form again and adhere themselves to whatever is dangled in the solution.  If you have pipe cleaners, that works great. But some string will do (even dental floss) if you need it. Supplies are simple, but ask your parent or big sibling to help make the solution with hot water!

Ingredients:

• Hot water (boiling, ideally)
• A glass cup or jar
• A spoon
• A piece of string, a pipe cleaner, dental floss, etc.
• A pencil
• A medium to make the solution (white sugar, table salt or borax powder)

Directions:

• Ask an adult to boil some hot water. You should have enough to fill the glasses or jars  you plan to use. 
• Carefully fill the cup or jar until almost full. Then add spoonfulls of the medium you have chosen (salt, sugar or borax powder) and stir after each addition. It should dissolve each time, but once you've made a super-saturated solution, it will stop dissolving. It means you've added enough that it cannot dissolve any more. 
• If you're using a pipe cleaner, create a shape that will fit in the cup or jar. Tie it with string and attach the other side of the string to a pencil. Carefully lower it into the glass, using the pencil to hold it up across the jar. You don't want the string or shape to touch the sides or bottom!
• Put the jar in a safe spot and allow it to cool completely over night (and for 2 days). When there are crystals formed on the string or shape, carefully remove it from the solution! You've made crystals!