On Monday, in order to entertain the kids during this corona virus pandemic, we started a fun science experiment with a crystal growing kit from Dollar Tree!
Kit includes:
- crystal chemicals
- black plastic crystal display pedestal
- 2 granite base rocks
- 1 wooden “spatula”
- instructions pamphlet
Instructions:
1) Fill the display pedestal 3/4 full with cold water. Pour the water into a container (not included). Make a note of the level of water in the container and pour it out (discard). This step is to figure out how much hot water you will need – the hot water is too hot to use the crystal display pedestal (a thin, weak plastic) to measure.
2) Fill the container back up to the noted level with hot water.
3) Open the bag of crystal chemical powder and pour 3/4 of the bag into the container. Use the wooden “spatula” to mix the powder until it’s dissolved.
4) Place the display pedestal on a flat surface with newspaper underneath. When the chemical solution cools off, pour it into the display pedestal.
5) Place the base rocks into the chemical solution and sprinkle the remaining crystal powder on top of the rocks. This will help the crystals form faster.
6) As the water evaporates, you will start to see small crystals form within 48 hours. The crystals will grow approximately 3-4 centimetres.
48+ Hours Later:
Even though the crystals didn’t quite turn out how we expected, we had such fun, quality time together! Win.