Description
Create a stunning homemade crystal tree with simple materials and a sprinkle of chemistry. A rewarding craft project for all ages!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup of water
- 3 tablespoons of borax
- Pipe cleaners
- A glass jar (wide-mouth preferred)
- A stick or pencil
- String or fishing line
- Food coloring (optional)
- A pot (for boiling water)
Instructions
- Shape the pipe cleaners into desired tree branches or any other preferred design.
- Attach the ends of the branches together to form a tree shape.
- Boil 1 cup of water in your pot.
- Mix in 3 tablespoons of borax into the boiling water and stir until completely dissolved.
- Carefully pour the borax solution into the glass jar.
- Tie the pipe cleaner tree to the stick or pencil using the string.
- Place the stick or pencil across the top of the jar so that the tree hangs down into the solution without touching the bottom.
- Let the setup sit undisturbed in a cool area.
- Observe the crystals forming over the next few hours to a few days.
- Once satisfied with the crystal growth, carefully remove the tree from the solution and let it dry on a paper towel.
Notes
Experiment with different food coloring combinations for vibrant trees. Use larger or smaller jars depending on the size of your tree.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Craft
- Method: Crafting
- Cuisine: N/A
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tree
- Calories: N/A
- Sugar: N/A
- Sodium: N/A
- Fat: N/A
- Saturated Fat: N/A
- Unsaturated Fat: N/A
- Trans Fat: N/A
- Carbohydrates: N/A
- Fiber: N/A
- Protein: N/A
- Cholesterol: N/A