This is fun experiment with very cool results. Our inspiration was from The Scientific Mom. She created Borax Crystal Ornaments as part of her 12 Days of Science Series with her daughter. Be sure to check out her blog here to find out about all the amazing excursions and experiments that she does with her daughter. We decided to make borax crystal hearts for Valentine's day and a few snowflakes for Winter. Keep reading to find out how we made these.
To make Borax Crystal Hearts You'll Need:
Pipe Cleaners
20 Mule Team Borax (found in the laundry section of the grocery store) (5-6 Tablespoons or more)
***Borax is not-edible and should be handled with care when using with children)
***Borax is not-edible and should be handled with care when using with children)
Water (2 Cups or so)
Jar or Glass Container
Pencil or stick
The first step in making these is to shape a pipe cleaner into a the shape you desire. Make sure to form a hanger or add one to the shape using the pipe cleaner. Then boil about 2 cups of water (depends on how big your glass container is), let cool a little and pour into your glass container. Then, take about 6 Tablespoons of Borax and stir into the water until dissolved. Then hang your pipe cleaner shape from a pencil. Place the pencil on top of the glass container. Make sure it is submerged.
You can add more Borax which will create more crystals. Let this sit over night, and the next morning you'll have beautiful crystal shapes. ***Keep the pipe cleaner submerged over night! It was fun to experiment and check them the next morning. Here are some of our results:
Close-up Crystals
Red Metallic Heart
Silver Pipe Cleaner Snowflake
Swirls
