What You'll Need
This experiment requires several items,
but luckily they are generally pretty
easy to find around the house or at the
supermarket. If using anything from your
kitchen, be sure to thoroughly wash and
dry before next use.
•Borax
•Warm water
•String
•2 pencils
•Pipe cleaners
•Large bowl
•Scissors
•2 identical jars
•Cooking pot
•Tablespoon
How to Create
Crystals
with Borax
1. Create shapes
At this stage, we'll use the pipe
cleaners to create the foundation of
our crystals for the experiment. Take
the pipe cleaners and mold them into
whatever shape you want the crystals to
turn out as, these will form the basis for
your creation.
Be sure to select the color of your pipe
cleaners purposefully. Because Borax
crystals is white, the crystals will form
clear, so the pipe cleaners underneath
will give them their color. To make
your own colorful creations, be sure to
pick the brightest colors for your pipe
cleaners!
2. Boil water
Take your pot and bring the water back
up to boiling point. This is where you'll
dissolve your Borax mixture.
It's up to you how much water to use,
but 3 cups should contain enough Borax
to complete the experiment. Feel free to
add more if need be.
3. Mix solution
Add about 3-4 Tbsp of Borax for every
cup of water in your solution.
Stir until the Borax dissolves in the
water. You want the water to be clear
because if the water gets cloudy then
your crystals will be cloudy.
4. Pour into jars
Once your solution is mixed, pour into
the mason jars about three quarters of
the way to the top.
5. Suspend pipe cleaners
Use the string to tie your pipe cleaners
to the pencils. Then place these pencils
over the rim of each jar so that the pipe
cleaners are suspended in the water.
Be sure to thoroughly wash and dry
hands.
6. Leave overnight
The submerged pipe cleaners should
form crystals over the next 12-24 hours.
The longer that you leave them then
the bigger they will grow. Be sure that
none of the pipe cleaners are touching
each other or the sides of the jars so
that they can grow as large as possible.
7. Remove and dry crystals
The crystals should have grown around
the colored pipe cleaner. Now, simply
take them out of the jars and let them
dry and marvel in your crystal creations!
Now that you know how to make
your own crystals, you can take your
experiment to the next level! There are
so many shapes and crafts to try with
Borax crystals!
Off icialKidsMag.com • DECEMBER 2019 • 7
