Crystal Creations
Shape some new wonders of the natural world at home, by creating some sparkling crystals and geodes. All you need to start crystal growth is one tiny molecule, like a grain or seed, for the crystals to form around. This shows how something impressive can be grown from something small.
Task
Crystallisation, like most scientific experiments, can be difficult to predict. Did your experiment turn out exactly as you thought?
Resources
- Access to water
- Kitchen scales
- Spoons
- Food colouring
- Scissors
- Heat resistant jugs
- Magnifying glass (optional)
- Epsom salt
- Caster sugar
- White plates
- Penny
- Trays
Instructions
- Pour 100ml into a heat resistant jug. The water should be as hot as possible, you could boil a kettle but be careful and make sure that an adult is around to supervise.
- Weigh out 100g of Epsom salt and add it to the hot water.
- With a spoon, stir the salt into the water for a few minutes until it dissolves.
- Add a drop of food colouring to the water.
- Check the salt has dissolved. When it has, pour some of the liquid from the jug onto a white plate on a tray. Place the tray on a windowsill or somewhere out of the way.
- Place a penny in the middle of the white plate, in the liquid.
- After three to four days, check back and you should see long, thin crystals on the plate. If you can, check them out under a magnifying glass.
You have loads of options for changing the experiments: different salts or caster sugar, colours, amount of solid dissolved, the growing technique (plate and penny, egg or pipe cleaner), and how fast or slow you cool the solutions.