crystals experiment with salt

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How to Make Salt Crystals

Last Updated: June 22, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Meredith Juncker, PhD . Meredith Juncker is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Her studies are focused on proteins and neurodegenerative diseases. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,335,727 times.

Crystals can look quite magical when they appear from seemingly nowhere in a glass of water. In fact, they form from substances already dissolved in the water. Make your own salt crystal experiment, and learn how it works at the same time.

Making Easy Salt Crystals

• Kids should ask an adult for help handling the hot water.
• Distilled water gives the best results, but tap water should work fine. [1] X Trustworthy Source Science Buddies Expert-sourced database of science projects, explanations, and educational material Go to source
• As you heat the water, its molecules will speed up.

• Table salt takes a few days to grow. "Iodized" salt won't work as well, but will still form crystals. [2] X Research source
• Epsom salt grows into smaller, needle-like crystals, but grows more quickly than table salt. Buy it at a pharmacy.
• Alum grow quickly, sometimes making visible crystals within a few hours. Find it in the spice section of a grocery store.
• You've just made a supersaturated solution . This means the solution (the liquid) contains more salt than water can usually hold! When you heated the solution (your water), the molecules sped up, creating space between them that allowed more of the solute (your salt) to be absorbed than usual.
• Pour slowly and stop before the salt grains fall into the jar. If there are undissolved salt grains in the jar, the crystals might grow around those grains instead of your string.
• Since supersaturated solutions are very unstable, salt will come out of the solution when you disturb it. This means it will start to form crystals, which takes heat away from your solution. [3] X Research source
• The tiny grooves and rough edges of the string provide a place for salt to latch on and grow. [4] X Research source A fishing line won't work, since it's too smooth.

• Try not to have the string touch the side of the jar. This can make smaller, lumpier crystals grow against the side.

• To grow a lumpy mass of crystals quickly, keep the jar in the sun and/or keep a fan blowing near it on the lowest setting. These crystals may stop growing at a fairly small size.
• If you want a single, large crystal instead of a clump of crystals, keep the jar in a cool, shaded place. [5] X Research source Keep it on a Styrofoam pad or similar material to absorb vibrations. [6] X Research source (There's still a good chance you'll end up with a clump, but there should be larger individual crystals within it.)
• Epsom salt (and a few less common salts) will grow faster in the refrigerator instead of the sun.

• When the water cools, it has way more salt than cold water can normally hold. This makes it very unstable, so the dissolved salt will leave the water and grab onto the string if it gets a tiny push. [7] X Research source As the water evaporates, the salt stays behind, making it even more unstable and encouraging the crystal to grow. This is because the crystal is in a lower energy state, which makes it more stable than the salt was in the solution.

Growing a Single, Large Crystal

• Use a flat, shallow, wide container instead of a jar. This makes it easy to get a single crystal that hasn't merged with any others. [8] X Research source
• Epsom salts do not work well for this method. Try alum or table salt instead, or see variations below for more ideas.
• Choose a lone crystal, not in contact with any others.
• Choose a crystal with flat, even surfaces and straight edges.
• Choose a large crystal (at least the size of a pea). [9] X Research source
• Ideally, find several crystals and set each one up in a separate jar as described below. Crystals often dissolve or fail to grow, so having backups is a good idea.
• Do not use string or rough wire. You need a smooth surface so the crystals can't grow on the string instead of the crystal.

• There are several faster ways to solve this problem, but they are more difficult and may require some knowledge of chemistry. [11] X Research source

• Place the jar in a cool, dark location, such as in a low cupboard.
• Keep it on a Styrofoam pad or other material that absorbs vibration.
• Keep a coffee filter, paper, or thin cloth over the jar to block dust. Do not use an airtight seal.

• About every two weeks, pour the solution through a coffee filter to remove impurities. [12] X Research source
• This is a difficult process. Even experienced crystal growers sometimes have a crystal dissolve or become lumpy. If you have a perfect seed crystal, you might want to test a worse seed crystal first to make sure the solution works out.

Trying Different Variations

• Borax for white or dyed crystals
• Copper sulfate for blue crystals [14] X Research source
• Chrome alum for purple crystals [15] X Research source
• Copper acetate monohydrate for dark, blue-green crystals [16] X Research source
• Warning: These chemicals may cause harm when inhaled, ingested, or handled with bare hands. Read the safety information on the label and do not allow children to handle them unsupervised.

• Pour enough to saturate the sponges without submerging them.
• To make different colors of crystals, add a drop of food coloring to each sponge.

Expert Q&A

• Dust in the water can cause smaller or lumpier crystals. Put a mesh or paper towel over the jar to stop it falling in. These materials will still allow water to evaporate, which speeds up crystal growth. Thanks Helpful 22 Not Helpful 3

• Wash your hands after handling Epsom salt or alum. They are generally safe, but can irritate skin. Do not eat them. [18] X Research source Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2

Things You'll Need

• Water (distilled or deionized water recommended)
• Table salt, Epsom salt, or alum
• Food coloring (optional)
• Stirring spoon

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=13686
• ↑ http://sciencenotes.org/grow-table-salt-or-sodium-chloride-crystals/
• ↑ https://study.com/academy/lesson/supersaturated-solution-definition-example-quiz.html
• ↑ https://www.questacon.edu.au/learn-and-play/activities/crystal-snowflake
• ↑ https://www.iycr2014.org/participate/crystal-growing-competition-2014/info-for-newcomers/how-to-grow
• ↑ https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/seasoning/kitchen/activity-saltsculpture.html
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfbbrZcUMCM
• ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/growing-table-salt-crystals-607663
• ↑ http://web.mit.edu/x-ray/cystallize.html
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKCS1DvORug
• ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/copper-sulfate-crystals-606228
• ↑ http://sciencenotes.org/grow-chrome-alum-crystals/
• ↑ http://sciencenotes.org/grow-blue-green-copper-acetate-crystals/

About This Article

To make salt crystals easily at home, start by heating 1/2 a cup of water in a pan until it begins to boil. Then, pour in 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of salt, stirring until the water is clear. Continue adding salt to the water until the grains stop dissolving when you stir, and then pour the mixture into clean, clear, heat-safe jar or container. Once you have your container ready, tie a string around a pencil and balance the pencil over the jar to dangle the string in the water. Place the container in a safe place and wait 2-3 days for crystals to form! For tips on how to grow a single, large crystal, rather than a bunch of small crystals, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to make salt crystals

July 11, 2022 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

An easy way to make salt crystals is to dissolve table salt in water and leave the solution somewhere warm until the water evaporates, leaving behind sparkly salt crystals.

We also made coloured salt by adding a little food colouring.

This activity and more salt science experiments can be found in a salt science activity sheet made as part of a collaboration with the Primary Science Teaching Trust.

You’ll need

500ml warm water

Bowl or jug

Plate or shallow bowl

Food colouring – optional

Put about 500ml of warm water into the jug.

Stir in a large spoonful of salt and stir until it is all dissolved ( when you can’t see or feel the grains any more ).

Keep stirring in salt a spoon at a time until you reach the point where no more salt will dissolve ( we call this a saturated solution ).

Pour a small amount of the salty mixture onto a flat bowl or plate and leave it somewhere warm. Outside in the sun is ideal.

After a few days, you should see crystals appear.

How to make coloured salt crystals

Make as above but add a little food colouring to the saturated salt solution.

Why do salt crystals form?

When you stir salt into warm water, it dissolves. It looks like the salt has disappeared, but it has actually mixed with the water to form a transparent solution.

When the salty solution is left in a warm place ( we left ours on a windowsill ), the water evaporates, leaving behind salt crystals.

Evaporation of water happens when water gets enough energy to change state from liquid water to water vapour ( a gas ).

Extension Tasks

Water evaporates faster when there is a bigger surface area. This is because more water is exposed to the air. Try leaving the same volume of water in a tall container and in a shallow bowl. The water in the shallow bowl should evaporate faster than the water in the tall container.

More Science for Kids

Use salt to cool a drink quickly!

Make ice cream also using the supercooling power of salt.

I’ve also got lots of easy kitchen science ideas for you to try!

Last Updated on May 5, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

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How to Grow Table Salt or Sodium Chloride Crystals

Easy Salt Crystal Recipe

• Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

Table salt, also known as sodium chloride , is a crystal (a symmetrical solid substance made entirely of the same material). You can see the shape of a salt crystal under a microscope, and you can grow much larger salt crystals for fun or for a science fair. Growing salt crystals is fun and easy; the ingredients are right in your kitchen, the crystals are non-toxic, and no special equipment is required. 

Key Takeaways: Grow Salt Crystals

• Salt is the common name for the chemical sodium chloride (NaCl).
• Salt crystals are cubic, clear crystals that you can grow from any type of edible salt. Table salt, iodized salt, Kosher salt, and sea salt all work fine as a starting material.
• The key to successful salt crystal growing is controlling temperature and humidity. This is because even slight changes in these two factors dramatically influence the solubility of sodium chloride.

How to Grow Salt Crystals

It takes very little work to start the process of growing salt crystals, though you will need to wait a few hours or days to see the results, depending on the method you use. No matter which method you try, you'll need to use a hot stove and boiling water, so adult supervision is advised. 

Salt Crystal Materials

• table salt (sodium chloride)
• clean clear container
• a piece of cardboard (optional)
• string and pencil or butter knife (optional)

Stir salt into boiling hot water until no more salt will dissolve (crystals start to appear at the bottom of the container). Be sure the water is as close to boiling as possible. Hot tap water is not sufficient for making the solution .

Quick Crystals:  If you want crystals quickly, you can soak a piece of cardboard in this supersaturated salt solution. Once it is soggy, place it on a plate or pan and set it in a warm and sunny location to dry out. Numerous small salt crystals will form.

Perfect Crystals:  If you are trying to form a larger, perfect cubic crystal, you will want to make a seed crystal . To grow a big crystal from a seed crystal, carefully pour the supersaturated salt solution into a clean container (so no undissolved salt gets in), allow the solution to cool, then hang the seed crystal in the solution from a pencil or knife placed across the top of the container. You could cover the container with a coffee filter or paper towel, if you like. This cover keeps dust and debris out of the project, but permit water evaporation.

Set the container in a location where it can remain undisturbed. You are more likely to get a perfect crystal instead of a mass of crystals if you allow the crystal to grow slowly (cooler temperature, shaded location) in a place free of vibrations. Don't store the project near a window because temperature fluctuations will alternately grow and dissolve crystals.

Tips for Success

• Experiment with different types of table salt . Try iodized salt, un-iodized salt, sea salt , or even salt substitutes. Try using different types of water, such as tap water compared with distilled water . See if there is any difference in the appearance of the crystals.
• If you are trying for the 'perfect crystal' use un-iodized salt and distilled water. Impurities in either the salt or water can aid dislocation, where new crystals don't stack perfectly on top of previous crystals.
• The solubility of table salt (or any kind of salt) increases greatly with temperature. You'll get the quickest results if you start with a saturated saline solution, which means you want to dissolve salt in the hottest water available. One trick to increase the amount of salt you can dissolve is to microwave the salt solution. Stir in more salt until it stops dissolving and starts to accumulate at the bottom of the container. Use the clear liquid to grow your crystals. You can filter out the solids using a coffee filter or paper towel.
• If salt crystals won't grow, try refrigerating the salt water. Another "trick" is adding a few grains of salt to the liquid too get the action started. But, if these grains immediately dissolve, the solution just is not saturated. You need to add more salt until no more dissolves.
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Salt Crystals Experiment

This  salt crystals science project is a fun and easy  science experiment for kids , perfect for home or school. Every time we grow a new batch of crystals, whether they are salt crystals or borax crystals , we are always amazed by how cool this type of science experiment is to do! Not to mention how easy it is as well!

Here we went with an Easter egg theme for our salt crystals. But you could use paper cutouts of any shape or even string or pipe cleaners suspended in the solution.

• Construction Paper
• Container and Spoon {for mixing salt solution}
• Tray or Plate
• Hole Puncher and String {optional if you want to hang them when you are finished}

Instructions:

STEP 1:  Start by making as many cut out shapes as you would like. Or you can just make one giant shape if you prefer that fills your tray. You will want the shapes to lay as flat as possible, so we used a cookie tray.

At this point, go ahead and punch a hole in the top of the paper cutouts if you plan to use your salt crystals as an ornament!

Also check out how we have done this with paper leaves , snowflakes , gingerbread men and hearts for different themes!

STEP 2:  Place your cutouts on your tray, and get ready to mix your super saturated solution (see below).

STEP 3. First you need to start with hot water, so this is an adult only step if needed.

We microwaved about 2 cups of water for 2 minutes. Though you can see from the above right photo, we did not use all of our solution for our tray.

STEP 4. Now, it’s time to add the salt. We added one tablespoon at a time, stirring very well until completely dissolved. You can feel the point at which it’s not gritty as you stir. {Close to 6 tablespoons for us}

Do this with each tablespoon until you can’t get rid of that gritty feeling. You will see a bit of salt on the bottom of the container. This is your super saturated solution!

STEP 5. BEFORE you pour the solution onto your paper shapes, move your tray to a quiet location that won’t be disturbed. It’s easier than trying to do it after you have added the liquid. We know!

Go ahead and pour your mixture over the paper just covering them with a thin layer of the solution.

The more solution you pour over, the longer it will take for the water to evaporate!

You can see that our egg cutouts had a bit of a tough time staying separated and we didn’t try to fix it too much. You could experiment with different methods like tape to stick them down first or an object to block their movement.

Now you just need to give it time to form the salt crystals. We set this up mid-morning and started seeing results by late evening and definitely the next day. Plan to allow approximately 3 days for this activity. Once the water has evaporated, they will be ready.

Borax Crystals are ready faster if you need a quicker crystal growing activity!!

How To Grow The Best Salt Crystals

In order to make the best crystals, the solution has to cool slowly. This allows any impurities that are also caught up in the solution to be rejected by the forming crystals. Remember the crystal molecules are all the same and are looking for more of the same!

If the water cools too quickly the impurities are trapped creating an unstable, misshapen crystal. You can see that here when we tried to use different containers for our borax crystals. One container cooled slowly and one container cooled quickly.

We transferred our salt crystal covered egg cutouts to paper towels and let them dry out for a while. Plus, the crystals really seem to bond nicely as everything dries out more.

When they are nice and dry, add a string if you wish. Examine the salt crystals with a magnifying glass too. You can explore one single crystal as well like we did below.

These crystals are so cool and they will always be cubed shaped whether they are by themselves or in a cluster. This is because a crystal is made of molecules that come together in a repeating pattern. Check out our single crystal above!

How Do Salt Crystals Form

To make salt crystals you start with a supersaturated solution of salt and water. A supersaturated solution is a mixture that can’t hold any more particles. Like with the salt here, we have filled all the space in the water with salt and the rest is left behind.

Water molecules are close together in cold water, but when you heat the water up, the molecules spread away from each other. This is what allows you to dissolve more salt in the water than you normally could. It even appears cloudy.

You can try this experiment with cold water to compare the differences in the amount of salt needed to get this mixture, and you can compare the results of the crystals afterward.

So how do the salt crystals grow? As the solution cools the water molecules start to come back together, the particles of salt in the solution fall out of place and onto the paper. More will connect with the molecules that have already fallen out of the solution.

As the salt solution cools and the water evaporates, the atoms (niacin and chlorine) are no longer separated by water molecules. They begin to bond together and then bond further forming the special cube-shaped crystal for salt.

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Set Up A Salt Crystals Science Project

This salt crystals experiment would make an easy science fair project. You could experiment with different water temperatures, different trays or plates, or covering the crystals slightly to minimize heat loss.

You could also vary the type of salt used. What happens to drying time or crystal formation if you use rock salt or Epsom salt?

Check out these helpful resources…

• Science Fair Board Layouts
• Tips For Science Fair Projects
• More Easy Science Fair Project Ideas

More Fun Science Experiments With Salt

• Investigate what makes ice melt faster
• Use salt and ice to make ice cream in a bag
• Or homemade slushies
• Explore how salt changes the density of water
• Try this fun salt and soda experiment
• Set up a salt volcano

Printable Science Projects Pack

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

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I am having trouble growing the crystals, is it possible that I am heating the water up too much? After a few days very little of the water has evaporated and no crystals have formed.

Are you adding enough salt? You have to create a saturated solution! Email me [email protected]

Can you pour the borax solution over the egg shapes in the pan?

Comments are closed.

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Babble Dabble Do

How to Grow Salt Crystals Overnight

December 15, 2013 by Ana Dziengel 61 Comments

Want to learn how to how to grow salt crystals overnight using easy to find materials? Of course you do!

Any exploration of science for kids is not complete without growing some crystals….am I right? In fact, at the science fair this past year crystal growing projects were the project de jour, and I can understand why, growing a Crystal Garden has ranked pretty high up there on my list of fun science experiments since I myself was a kid!

Now one of the big drawbacks to many crystal growing projects is the time involved. I’ll be honest, I am not a patient woman and though I proselytize patience to my kids, I’m not a very good example of this virtue! So days of waiting for a crystal garden to grow pretty much sent this idea to the “someday” list. That is until I discovered Epsom salt crystals….leave them overnight and wake up to magic! Oh how much do I love thee  Epsom Salt !

Before we get started let me clarify, growing crystals using Epsom salt will not yield giant geodes bursting with color; Epsom salt crystals are small, delicate, and slivery. Instead of one or two mega crystals this science experiment for kids will give you hundreds of miniature crystals; they look a little bit like shards of glass and if you’re lucky you may get a few that look like snowflakes…

Also plan on making 3-4 crystal gardens. The crystals grow differently, some were delicate and lacy, other were more rocky and gem like.  Be sure to make a bunch to delight you and the kids!

This post contains affiliate links to products I love and recommend to my readers.

• Clean Glass jars B uy in bulk here
• Food Coloring   (optional)
• Hot Tap Water
• Bowl or glass measuring cup
• Pebble or sand
• Microwave (optional)

Instructions

• Step One  |  Measure  You will be using a ratio of 1:1 water to Epsom Salt  for this project. Add 1 cup of Epsom salt to your jar/votive.  If you are working with larger jars feel free to add more salt but be sure to make a note of how much so you can add the same amount of water.
• Step Two  | Heat the Water Add 1 cup of water to a microwave safe bowl. Heat the water in the microwave for 45 seconds. Alternatively use very hot tap water and skip the microwave.
• Step Three  |  Add Color  If you are using color, add a dash of food coloring to the water. Stir.
• Step Four  |  Combine   Pour the water into the jar with the salt.  Stir the salt and water for 1-2 minutes to dissolve the salt.  Don’t worry if some of the salt remains undissolved at the bottom of the jar.
• Step Five  |  Cool  Drop in a pebble or a few grains of sand. Crystals need something to grow on and one little impurity in the water like grain of sand will should help ensure they have a place to nucleate.
• Step Six  |  Cool  Place the jar in the back of your refrigerator. Alternatively, quick cool the mixture for 10 minutes in the freezer and then move it to the refrigerator. Cooling in the freezer first yielded crystal growth in 90% of our experiments. We had just a slightly lower success rate going straight from mixing to the fridge.
• Step Seven  |  Let ’em Grow  Leave the mixture overnight in the fridge.  Crystals may start forming in as little as 3 hours but we got the best results when we made the gardens in the evening and left them to sit undisturbed overnight Bonus: My daughter was excited to wake up and see how they had grown!
• Step Eight  |   The Reveal  Carefully pour out the extra liquid. It’s okay to leave a little liquid at the bottom of the jar. If you colored your water it will be hard to see if any crystals have grown until the excess liquid is removed. Clear water is easy to check.
• Step Nine  |  Clean  Use a wet paper towel to gently wipe away excess salt and color that may be on the upper portion of the jar. This will help you see the lovely crystal garden through the glass. Be careful not to damage any of your crystals!

You’re done! Hand the kids a magnifying glass for additional exploration. My kids really wanted to touch the crystals. That’s okay but let them know they are delicate and break easily.

Tips & Troubleshooting

Science for kids is not without trial and error! Here are some tips I learned after repeating this experiment over 20 times…

• Don’t overheat the water! I know it’s tempting to really heat that water up to make the salt dissolve, but all the experiments we did with really hot water, heated more than 45 seconds in the microwave, failed miserably.
• Stir for at least one to two minutes! This is tough one for littler kids. My daughter was done stirring within a few seconds but you really need to get that water super saturated with salt to make the crystals grow. The less dissolved the salt is the smaller the crystals will be and worst case they may not grow at all.
• Let them grow even longer in the fridge.   Leave them in the fridge longer than overnight and they should continue to grow. I left a few in the fridge for a over a week and the results got even better!
• DO NOT let them sit in water at room temperature. Any crystals that have formed will deteriorate in the water at room temp. Once the crystals have formed and you want to preserve them you will need to pour out the water. I had some gorgeous crystals form in the fridge over the course of a week or so and I took them out and left them on the counter in the water. I came back the next morning to find they had flattened out. The one garden I poured the water out of remained stunning.
• Make a Crystal Suncatcher with the leftover water!  

Let’s Talk Science

Here are a few terms we need to know to understand the chemistry involved in learning how to grow salt crystals:

• Crystals Crystals are a type of material that is formed by patterns of repeating molecules.  To the naked eye they have flat surfaces and facets. Crystals form when a liquid cools very slowly and/or when water evaporates from a chemical mixture leaving behind the solute (see below) whose molecules re-form into new geometric shapes i.e. crystals
• Solute A substance dissolves in another substance.
• Saturation When a mineral like salt (the solute in this project) is dissolved in water, the water can only hold certain amount of the solute. A liquid is saturated when the maximum amount of solute is dissolved in it. Hot liquids can hold more solute than cold liquids.
• Nucleation & seed crystals When an impurity is introduced into a saturated solution the solute will begin to recrystallize around that impurity. This is the site of nucleation. Often a large crystal is used to grow smaller crystals, this is a seed crystal. In our experiment the sand and pebbles are acting as the seed crystal.

What is happening in this project:

In our overnights crystals we first mix up a super saturated batch of salt water. As the mixture both cools in the refrigerator and the water begins to evaporate, the atoms in the salt start reforming around the pebbles and/or sand particles causing the salt crystals to reform in new geometric formations.

How to turn this in a Science Fair Project

Let’s turn this topic into an experiment! Here’s how you can take this to the science fair:

• Ask yourself questions  Some question ideas: What are the best materials for nucleation?  What is the ideal temperature for crystal growth- you can explore the water temperature or the temperature in the refrigerator. What is the ideal salt/water ratio for crystal growth?
• Research Do research online and at the library to try and predict the answer to your question. For instance, research seed crystals, saturation, and the best methods for growing crystals.
• Make a hypothesis  A hypothesis is your prediction of the answer to your question based on your research. It may or may not be true.
• Experiment! Test you your hypothesis by testing the variables and documenting them. Be sure to take notes of each experiment and what happens; this is called your data.

Experiment with nucleation materials    Try crowing crystals using sand, rocks, dust, glitter, etc. as your seed crystal. Does that change the way the crystals form? Does the size of the object make a difference in the way the crystals form?

Test different temperatures Try using different water temperatures to grow crystals. Does that change the way they grow? Try cooling the crystals at different temperatures, i.e. in the freezer, refrigerator, room temperature, and observe what happens.

Find the best salt/water ratio for crystal growth We used a 1:1 ratio in this experiment but what happens if you vary that ratio? Experiment and document the results.

• Draw conclusions Based on your experiments form a conclusion. Was your hypothesis correct?
• Share your findings Create a presentation with your findings. Include your research, hypothese, the data you collected and your conclusions. Be sure to include images and samples

See more Science Fair Project ideas here

Now that you know how to grow salt crystals, here’s a little something you can try with the leftover saturated water: make crystal suncatchers :.

learning how to make crystals from epsom salt is really simple and a great idea for a science fair project!

For more fun science experiment ideas for kids hop over here

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January 7, 2014 at 4:21 am

What a fun idea! I tried this last night and only one of my three jars grew the crystals. I wonder what the secret is? Like you, I thought I did each jar exactly the same way. I think it must have something to do with the heating of the water. We’re excited to try the suncatchers! Just stumbled across your blog yesterday and really like the concept and ideas! My kids and I look forward to trying more of your projects soon. Thanks!

Ana Dziengel says

January 7, 2014 at 5:02 am

Hi Holly, I’m so glad you tried the experiment! I had some batches with more duds than successes and some batches where all of them grew! I wish I knew a chemist who might be able to illuminate me on why….I agree it must have something to do with the heating and cooling of the water. Did you try quick cooling a batch in the freezer for 5-10 minutes? That seemed to help get most of them growing. Also one more tip: Continue to let any that have crystallized grow in the fridge for at least a week. The crystals continue to grow over time! I left a few in the back of my fridge and checked on them one day and some of them had grown into even more impressive crystals. I’m going to write a follow-up on the post suggesting that too because some of the crystals were stunning!

March 10, 2014 at 1:25 pm

We did not keep ours in the refrigerator or cold. We did not pour off the water. We suspended a string and paper clip and set them on the table. As the water evaporated more crystals grew.

March 25, 2014 at 6:26 am

Ooooh Jan I love this variation! I will have to try it!!! Thanks for the great suggestion!

July 4, 2016 at 11:52 am

All I have is kosher salt. Will that work as good as the epsome salt?

July 8, 2016 at 7:59 am

Unfortunately not. But Epsom salt is easily found at your local drug store,

jean kiralos says

December 8, 2015 at 4:24 am

this works great I cant wait to do it again i think I have to tell everybody about it

March 9, 2017 at 3:24 pm

I couldn’t get as many to grow either. Maybe I have to keep them in the refrigerator longer I guess.

Anyways, thank you so much for this tutorial, Ana! Not only is this project fun for kids, but I have to admit that I had way more fun than I should have haha 😉

March 11, 2017 at 5:51 am

It was suggested to me to place a small catalyst in the jar, a pebble or something else to give the crystals something to grow on. I also just wrote a new post about Borax Crystals which are super easy to grow: https://babbledabbledo.com/borax-crystal-wind-catchers/

Adriane says

January 7, 2014 at 1:57 pm

Do you have to keep them cold? Could my kids take them to school to show their class or would they turn to a watery substance like jello….? Thanks!

January 8, 2014 at 5:22 am

Hi Adriane, Once the crystals have formed you can pour out the water and they don’t need to be chilled. Mine have been happily living in our kitchen for several weeks. They will harden even more over time and develop some white edges as they fully dry out. A couple tips: 1) Leave them in the fridge longer than overnight and they should continue to grow. I left a few in the fridge for a over a week and the results got even better! 2) DO NOT take them out and leave them in the water at room temp. They will deteriorate in the water at room temp. Hope that makes sense! 3) When pouring out the water save some for a Crystal Sucatcher.

Take a pic when you have made your garden and post it on our FB page. I’d love to see how they turn out! Happy Experimenting! Ana Ana

January 13, 2014 at 2:14 am

will plastic containers work or does it have to be glass?

January 13, 2014 at 4:41 am

Thanks for stopping by Nate ! I tried plastic containers but did not get good results. You can try it but I do reccommend glass 🙂

Christy says

February 23, 2014 at 8:15 am

About how hot it the water? I know microwaves heat differently. Thanks.

February 27, 2014 at 5:45 am

Hi Christy, That’s hard to say…..I microwaved mine for 45 seconds but also had luck with piping hot water from the tap. I wish I had a thermometer….I’d try heating water in the microwave for 30-45 seconds for a couple gardens, and the try and some hot tap water with a couple other gardens (inevitably some gardens grow and some don’t). Hope that helps! Ana

Stephanie says

March 7, 2014 at 12:52 pm

Sooooo cool!! Totally trying ASAP! I love your science ideas!

March 25, 2014 at 6:23 am

I hope you guys enjoy it Stephanie!

SpeedOrwinska says

May 20, 2014 at 5:29 am

Why some were ‘duds: The secret is that you need a ‘nucleation site’ – a place where the crystals can get together and start forming a big structure. In chemistry labs they often put back in one tiny crystal at the end before leaving it to cool as this will act as a great place for the crystals to start growing from. Normally the crystals find some way to do this anyhow, either using a piece of dust or some other impurity in the water, or from using a scratch or bumpy surface on the glass vessel. In the cases where nothing happened, try adding a tiny epsom salt crystal into the solution and see if that gets it going?

May 31, 2014 at 7:25 am

I have been trying to figure it out and this is such a great answer! I will try this and see if this does the trick 🙂 I really appreciate your feedback!

sebastian canete says

October 27, 2014 at 4:48 pm

I tried this experiment and it was growing crystals in a couple of days but doesn’t it needs I sponge so it will stick to the crystals. My science teacher said I needed a sponge to have the crystals on it. Can I use the same procedures to make it with a sponge.

October 29, 2014 at 6:47 am

Epsom crystals do not require a sponge to grow on but many other crystals do, like bluing and salt crystals 🙂

November 11, 2014 at 2:48 pm

very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very cool im doing this for a scince fair project

katepickle says

November 23, 2014 at 4:09 pm

oh I am pinning this idea to do over our summer holidays!! My kids will LOVE this!

Gianna says

December 12, 2014 at 7:14 pm

Would I be able to take the crystal to school? Or would the crystal start to melt? Please answer! I have science project due!

December 13, 2014 at 5:05 am

You can take it to school if you leave it in the glass container. These last a few weeks 🙂

December 13, 2014 at 5:39 am

Okay thank you so much!

December 30, 2014 at 6:30 pm

Wondering if I can use food colours instead of watercolours!?

January 2, 2015 at 7:19 am

Yes! You can!

January 3, 2015 at 12:00 pm

I think the reason you have duds is because you don’t have nucleation sites present in your super saturated solution. If you try again, throw in a few grains of sand or sugar to your cooled mix. I’m a material scientist… Theoretically this should work 🙂

January 5, 2015 at 5:31 am

HI Holly, Another header said the same thing! I will have to try the experiment again with a few grains of sand mixed in. Thanks for deciphering that mystery for me!

christi says

January 3, 2015 at 5:04 pm

Awesomeness

January 5, 2015 at 5:29 am

January 4, 2015 at 10:30 am

i was wondering if you could eat the crystals

Hi Evan, No, these crystals should NOT be eaten. If you want to make edible crystals I suggest googling rock candy and making those. They are made from sugar 🙂

January 7, 2015 at 4:51 pm

Hi um I need help because for school we are doing a science project (I’m in 8th grade) and I’m doing it in a group we were going to do this project on the crystallization of salt and I’m doing a research paragraph on why does epsom salt crystallize but I can’t find anything on the subject do you have any ideas i would be very grateful

January 9, 2015 at 7:05 am

Hi Kat, This site might have some info or some links to more crystal science info 🙂 http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/crystals.htm

eden l. johnson says

March 5, 2015 at 12:29 pm

Ok thanks for your help

Roy and Lisa Woods says

May 11, 2015 at 4:27 am

Thank you soooooo much, science expo soon, had a massive panic as my little girls science experiment wnt drastically wrong. Found this website, mums a hero now. Thanks lisa

May 12, 2015 at 5:49 am

Awesome!!! Post a pic of your crystals to our FB page!

Marilee Hird says

May 30, 2015 at 7:45 am

I have found this works better with something to grow on and a supersaturated solution. The grandkids and I made Christmas ornaments with Epsom salts and pipe cleaners.

June 5, 2015 at 6:00 am

Thanks for the tip!

Başarı says

January 30, 2016 at 4:06 am

A great article. Thank you very much

JacksMom says

February 19, 2016 at 12:31 pm

I just found your site from frugalfun4boys and I’m hooked! Do you know of any early readers for science activities? My son has no interest in reading but loves science…I’m hoping to bribe him to read by experimenting along the way ?

August 16, 2016 at 4:42 am

Man how did I miss your lovely comment? Thank you for the kind words!!! I don’t know of any early readers but check out the site What Do We Do All Day. There are excellent book lists on it!

Elizabeth says

April 22, 2016 at 4:59 am

Hi I tried this last night I did a batch with food coloring and glitter and another batch just plain I hanged a string in one and yarn in the other I notice that the ones with the string grew and the ones with the yarn didn’t, I also tried this experiment with iodize salt (not recommended) and also the one with the string grew and the one in the yarn didn’t, what could be the reason ? If anybody knows please let me know

August 16, 2016 at 4:32 am

Very interesting observations. I have heard that crystals grow better with an impurity in the saturated solution. Was the yarn cotton or synthetic?

Faith McAree says

May 17, 2016 at 10:06 am

Wow!!! I just finished today and the results were amazing!!! Love the idea! 😛

August 15, 2016 at 8:28 am

Woo hoo! Love hearing this!

Alicia Rainville says

July 15, 2016 at 3:06 am

Can you use food color instead of the liquid water colors?

August 15, 2016 at 8:18 am

Yes! Great substitution!

Emma Joy says

August 31, 2016 at 8:33 am

Can I use Iodized salt instead of epsom? It’s all I have.

August 31, 2016 at 8:36 am

If I can’t can I use scented epsom salt?

August 31, 2016 at 8:56 am

I think scented might work!

August 31, 2016 at 8:57 am

Unfortunately you need Epsom salt. But it’s super easy to find in drugstores and large supermarkets in the health/first aid sections. A big bag costs a few dollars 🙂

December 1, 2016 at 5:45 pm

I made a couple crystal jars. One is actually in a small glass bottle but im wondering if there is a way to get rid of all the water so itll last forever. Any thoughts?

December 9, 2016 at 5:37 am

Simply pour off the excess water 🙂 Be careful so you don’t break the crystals

Lise Latour says

August 28, 2017 at 3:57 pm

Lise Latour asks????

If I make the crystals in a mason Jar, and the next day,put the cover on tight can I give them as gifts????? Will they always stay As beautiful as they are the first night????

August 29, 2017 at 4:49 am

Make sure to drain the water. They should stay as is though keep in mind they can be fragile so if the jar gets dumped a lot some may break.

christine says

August 30, 2017 at 1:16 am

I love the idea for the sun catcher I think it would be fun to do this with Gson.

Veronica says

January 19, 2018 at 6:41 pm

Hi, I am wondering if I can use food coloring instead of water coloring? Thanks

January 23, 2018 at 10:50 am

It’s a perfect substitute 🙂

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Science Project Ideas

How to Make Salt Crystals

Creating crystals of table- or Epsom salt or sugar can be an excellent idea for your next science fair project. The process is simple and needs minimum adult supervision.

Salt (sodium chloride) consists of tiny cubic crystalline structures where the molecules are arranged in an orderly, geometric and repeating pattern, and you can grow your own salt crystals pretty easily.

Salt Crystal Experiment

Here are the instructions on making salt crystals. The method is similar for Epsom and sugar as well.

Materials Required

• ½ cup water
• 3 cups salt

Growing Homemade Salt Crystals

• Heat about 120 mL of water in a pan. Heating should continue until the water begins to bubble.
• Stop heating the pan.
• Take about 60 -120 mL by volume of salt and stir the water until it is clear. If you do not find any undissolved particle even after stirring, then add more salt and stir. Keep doing this until you find the grains do not dissolve anymore and pop out of the solution. Under this condition, the solution is said to be supersaturated as it contains more salt than the water can accommodate.
• Pour the contents of the pan in a jar being careful not to pour out any undissolved residue.
• Add a few drops of food color to the solution.
• Take a pencil long enough to lie across the mouth of the jar and tie a string at its center. You can also use a popsicle stick or any small stick for serving the purpose.
• Cut the part of the string hanging from the pencil to an appropriate size. The free end of the string should not touch the bottom of the jar lest the crystals formed are small and lumpy.
• Place the pencil on the jar with the string immersed in the solution. If the pencil wobbles, tape it to the jar. The string should not lean against the walls of the container since this can inhibit the augmentation of the structures.

• Keep the arrangement in a safe place free of any disturbance.
• If you want to grow crystals fast, place the jar in the sun or near a fan. The lump so created will, however, consist of small crystals as they stop increasing size after a certain period. If you want a large single crystal instead, keep it in a cool, shady place devoid of movement and vibration.

• Those of you experimenting with Epsom can refrigerate the jar for a quicker growth of the needle crystals. Alum crystals become visible very quickly, sometimes taking shape within a few hours. But the full process might take a couple of days. Table salt crystals start forming in a couple of days; maybe a week and take around two weeks to finish off.

• Check back every day to track the crystallization. The rate of growth increases with cooling of the water and evaporation.

You can try to make crystals with different substances and compare their rate of growth, color, taste, size, duration of formation, etc. Also test crystallization using tap water and distilled water. In this case, your hypothesis could be crystals of salt grow faster in tap water. After the experiment, note down your observations and tally them with your hypothesis.

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-->   Compare these different methods of growing salt crystals.       of Your Favorite Company! Salt Crystals (water, salt, string, pencil, container) Boil about 1 cup (250 ml) water. Add 1/4 cup salt. The solution will be supersaturated when salt crystals begin to collect on the bottom of the pan. Two options for growing salt crystals: Soak a piece of cardboard in the solution until it is saturated and sinks to the bottom of the pan. The cardboard will act as a template or base for crystal growth. Put the pan in a sunny location. Crystals will form as the water evaporates. Simply place the pan of solution in a warm location, and allow crystals to grow without a template. Both methods work. The salt crystal will grow over several days. Try several pans, and study how the growth of crystals varies between them. Notes to Parents: Every parent must use their own judgment in choosing which activities are safe for their own children.  While Science Kids at Home makes every effort to provide activity ideas that are safe and fun for children it is your responsibility to choose the activities that are safe in your own home. Science Kids at Home has checked the external web links on this page that we created.  We believe these links provide interesting information that is appropriate for kids.  However, the internet is a constantly changing place and these links may not work or the external web site may have changed.  We also have no control over the "Ads by Google" links, but these should be related to kids science and crafts.  You are responsible for supervising your own children.  If you ever find a link that you feel is inappropriate, please let us know. Kids Science Gifts   Science Experiments   Science Fair Projects   Science Topics   Creative Kids Blog Kids Crafts   Privacy Policy   Copyright © 2016 Science Kids at Home, all rights reserved. Have fun growing your own salt crystals with this simple project. You can do further research with a microscope once you’re finished. Crystals are beautiful to look at and you might even want to start your own collection. Grow Your Own Salt Crystals     Leave the experiment and wait for salt crystals to form along the string. They are an excellent example of cubic crystals and you can do further research with them by examining them under a microscope. When you look at various crystals under a microscope you can examine the differences between them: Are they perfectly formed? What shape are they? What color? Can you see any microorganisms on the crystals? Crystals can be found grouped together as lots of small crystals or as huge individual crystals. They vary in size from those at the microscopic level all they way up to crystals that are meters in length! Try collecting a range of crystals for your project, label the different types and make a rock collection box to keep them in.     Science Kids ©  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |  Updated: Oct 9, 2023 Physical and Chemical Changes Crystals Salt How to Grow Crystals of Salt The crystal-making process would be an exciting project for the children as they could keep a collection of them for viewing. Apparatus Required Toothpicks (2 Nos) Scissors (1) Spoon (used to stir) Salt (half a cup) Different Ways Of Growing Crystals of Salt: Step 1: Pour water into the jar until it is full. Step 2: Add salt (half a cup) to the jar containing water. Step 3: Stir the saline solution with the spoon. Step 4: Using the scissors, cut the string and tie it to the two toothpicks at both ends. Step 5: Keep the string at the jar top with the toothpick ends at the edges. Let the solution to settle for a while so that salt crystals form along the strings. These crystals are an ideal of how cubic crystals would look like and students could do more research on them using microscopes. When we have a closer look at them, we could spot the differences between them like are there microbes present in them; what shape they have; what colour it has and are they formed properly. The crystals formed could be put in various lots like small crystals and large single crystals. There would be a large variation in their size as some would be thin like a wafer or even microscopic level whereas some would be tall enough with a height of meters. Try making a collection of crystals of different shapes, sizes and label them accordingly and keep them in a box for viewing your work afterwards. Other Ways Of Making Crystals of Salt: Step 1: Heat 120mL of water until it bubbles. Step 2: Add Epsom or alum for quick results. Step 3: Take the pan off from the heater and add 60–120mL of salt and stir it until all the salt dissolves. When you say no grains of salt in the water add some more and stir till until the salt no more dissolves itself in water. This means that the solution is a supersaturated solution. Step 4: Pour the solution slowly into a clean glass jar and stop pouring before the undissolved salt grains fall into the new jar. Step 5: Add food colour to the new jar. Step 6: Take a pencil and tie a string to it. Keep the pencil on the top of the jar, balance it well and allow the string to dangle in the water. Step 7: Move the jar to a safe place and wait until the crystals form. Step 1: Take a flat, shallow, wide container with distilled water and add alum salt or table salt. After a few days, a layer of small crystals will grow at the base. Step 2: Pour the liquid and select a seed crystal with the pair of tweezers. Step 3: Attach a smooth wire or fishing line to one side of the crystal. Step 4: Make a new solution with the same salt used above. Step 5: Transfer the salt solution into a clean jar and place the seed crystal without touching to the bottom and sides of the jar. Cover the jar with filter paper to protect from dust and do not use an airtight lid. Step 6: Every week pour the solution through a filter paper to remove the impurities. Step 7: After a few weeks you can take out the crystal, dry it, and protect it with nail polish to avoid the wearing apart. For more information on other chemistry topics, study materials, and syllabus register with BYJU’S. Also, get worksheets and other exam materials to prepare in a better way. Put your understanding of this concept to test by answering a few MCQs. Click ‘Start Quiz’ to begin! Select the correct answer and click on the “Finish” button Check your score and answers at the end of the quiz Visit BYJU’S for all Chemistry related queries and study materials Your result is as below Request OTP on Voice Call CHEMISTRY Related Links Leave a Comment Cancel reply Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked * Post My Comment Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs Register with byju's & watch live videos. STEM InSIGHT STEM Ambassadors « STEM@Home Nature & Environment Community & Heritage Environment Ambassadors@Work Career Talks Grow Your Own Crystals   Secondary | Materials | Views: 54499 You will Need: Elastic band A glass/jar Cotton string What to Do: Boil your kettle and let it cool. Ask an adult to help you fill a jar or glass with warm water. Add several teaspoons of salt to the water and stir until all the salt has dissolved. Keep adding, a teaspoon at a time, and repeat this until no more salt will dissolve. Tie a paper clip onto the end of a piece of string and wrap this around a straw. The straw will be what hangs your paper clip in the water to form the crystal. Bend the straw so that it hangs over the jar, and put an elastic band around the top of the jar to hold it in place. The paper clip should hang in your crystal solution for around a week, don’t touch! Observe after a week, and leave for longer if needed. The process of crystallisation has occurred! Observe your crystal closely. What can you see? Has it formed any specific shapes? Can you explain how this has happened? Show us your crystals! Send a photo to [email protected] or tag us on Twitter @STEMHUB_SE « Back Science Fun Cool Crystals ¼ cup Epsom salt ¼ cup hot water Food coloring Optional: a small jar Instructions In the cup, measure out ¼ cup Epsom salt and ¼ hot water from the sink. Stir them together. If all the salt doesn’t dissolve, heat the cut in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. When all the salt is dissolved, put a drop or two of food coloring in the cup and stir to mix. Place the cup in the refrigerator. Check on it every half hour or hour. Within 4 hours, crystals should form in the bottom of the cup. Scoop the crystals onto a plate using a fork. If you want the crystals to last longer, put them in a jar with a lid (the small jars that baby food comes in work well). WATCH THE QUICK AND EASY VIDEO TUTORIAL How does it work? More salt can dissolve in hot water than cold, so when the hot water cools in the microwave, the Epsom salts create crystals on the side of the cup. The unique shape of Epsom salt molecules makes them form long crystals that almost look like needles. Different crystals have different shapes. If you look at sugar or salt crystals under a magnifying glass, you can see their cool crystal shapes, too! Further Exploration: When crystals form after being dissolved, they will cling onto anything they can. You can drop a bottle cap into your cup of dissolved salt and they will form on it. You can make a sculpture out of pipe cleaners and they will form on that, too. Does the experiment work with room temperature water? Cold water? Video of experiment here! EXPLORE TONS OF FUN AND EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS! SUBSCRIBE AND NEVER MISS A NEW SCIENCE FUN VIDEO! previous experiment Next experiment. Engineering for kids Science Experiments Math is Fun! Engineer Mom Crystal Science Experiment at Home My oldest has really been into crystals for a few years now. Every time we go for a walk, or join our Cub Scout pack for a hike, he spends a lot of the time searching for crystals along the way. He once made crystals during an event at church, and wanted to make some at home to. I’ve been thinking of making some crystals with the boys for fun, but couldn’t decide which ones to make. So we decided to perform our own crystal science experiment at home , to find out how three different kinds of crystals compare to one another. A Science Experiment at Home to Compare Crystals The three types of make at home crystal recipes most common are: salt, sugar, and borax. When making crystals from either of the substances, you first create a water and salt, sugar, or borax solution. A solution is a mixture of two or more substances, where you can not see the separate substances without a separation procedure, such as boiling. There are two parts to a solution: a solute and a solvent. The solute is the substance that dissolves, and the solvent is the majority of the mixture. In the case of making crystals, the solvent is water, and the solute is either salt, sugar, or borax. I found various ratios of water to salt, sugar, and borax, while looking for recipes of each crystal. I decided to conduct our experiment using the same ratio of solvent (water) to solute (salt, sugar, or borax). Crystal Experiment Post contains affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more details. 3 chalkboard garden sticks 1 piece of chalk 3 white pipe cleaners 3 small glass mason jars Salt Crystal Science Experiment Step 1: Wrap the end of a pipe cleaner around a garden stick. Label the garden stick “Salt” with chalk. Step 2: Boil 1/2 cup of water. Step 3: Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of salt, and stir until all the salt is dissolved. You should see small crystals forming on the surface of the water. Step 4: Transfer the salt water into one of the mason jars. Step 5: Stick the pipe cleaner into the water/salt solution. Step 6: Place the jar in a well sunlit location. I placed mine on a window sill. Sugar Crystal Science Experiment Step 1: Wrap the end of a pipe cleaner around a garden stick. Label the garden stick “Sugar” with chalk. Step 3: Slowly pour in 3/4 cup of sugar, and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. You should see small crystals forming on the surface of the water. Step 4: Transfer the sugar water into one of the mason jars. Step 5: Stick the pipe cleaner from step 1 into the water/salt solution. Step 6: Place the jar in a well sunlit location. I placed mine next to the salt water, on a window sill. Borax Crystal Science Experiment Step 1: Wrap the end of a pipe cleaner around a garden stick. Label the garden stick “Borax” with chalk. Step 3: Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of borax, and stir until all the borax is dissolved. You should see small crystals forming on the surface of the water. Step 4: Transfer the borax water into one of the mason jars. Step 5: Stick the pipe cleaner into the water/borax solution. Step 6: Place the jar in a well sunlit location. I placed mine on a window sill, next to the salt and sugar solutions. I let all the solutions sit on the window sill over night, and the next afternoon we pulled out our crystals and this is what we found! The salt and sugar crystals were less than impressive, but the borax crystals formed really nicely! I did a little more research on salt and sugar crystals, and found out they needed more time to form. I left the pipe cleaners in the salt and sugar solutions for another week, and these were our results! Crystal Science Experiment Thoughts All three solutions created very different crystals. The salt crystals look more like fluffy snowballs, which formed after a week of the pipe cleaner in the solution. The pipe cleaner wire also started to rust, which may have hindered the crystals from forming. The sugar crystals were small and spiky (as described by my 4 year old). The pipe cleaner’s wire did not rust in the sugar water solution, which is an interesting result! The borax crystals were more like the crystals we expected to make before we started our experiment, cube shaped and clear. My oldest one and I spent some time talking about our results. We discussed why the crystals all had different shapes to them. I told him the reason was because the molecules in each solution form a particular pattern when going from liquid to solid state(solution to crystal) In other words, the molecules of the salt water solution (sodium, hydrogen, and oxygen) form a certain pattern of bonds when cooling down. The pattern of bonds results in a particular shape of the crystal. The same holds true for the sugar and borax solutions. Have you tried a crystal science experiment at home? What were your results? We really loved experimenting with making crystals, so expect to find more on the blog soon! 3 Engineering Activities! Explore the fields of Mechanical, Chemical, and Electrical Engineers with this 3 day email course about engineers! Success! Now check your email for the next step toward your free email course about engineers! There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Looking for another science experiment at home? Here are a few we have done! Beyblade Experiment: What affects Momentum? The Anti-Climatic Volcano Experiment Appearing Snowflake: A Winter Activity for Kids Fun Water Experiment to Cool off in the Heat! Levitating Pumpkin Experiment Paintball Forces Science Experiment Angular Momentum Experiment with Beyblades! Easy Beyblade Science Experiment: Explore Different Types of Beyblades Easy and Fun Garden Preschool Science Experiment Rainbow Crayon – a Crayon Melting Point Experiment Law of Inertia Experiment using a Fidget Spinner! Make an American Flag Using Water Science Experiments How to Make Salt Crystal Feathers (in less than an hour!) Categories Science Experiments Want to know how to make salt crystal feathers? The salt crystal feathers experiment teaches how to make salt crystals with science. We made our crystals on feathers, but you can use any object with a rough surface. Of all the crystal experiments we’ve made, we absolutely love this one using salt to cover feathers with crystals to do the salt crystal feathers science experiment. So pretty for any time of year! Keep reading to find out how to make beautiful salt crystal feathers! There are a lot of fun ways to make salt crystals, but we love this feather version the best! How to Make Salt Crystal Feathers Fast Follow this guide and learn how to make these beautiful salt crystal feathers during the fall or any time of year! They are so pretty, kids will want to make them over and over! And the science lessons that kids can learn are very educational as well, and kids will love returning to this science lesson over and over. Salt Crystal Science The science of salt crystals is fascinating! Salt crystals form due to the high concentration of salt in the water. When the water evaporates, the salt has to go somewhere. When the feather is placed in the water, the salt molecules (NA and CL) bond together around the feather. Over time, the salt crystals get bigger. Salt crystals mimic the formation of other crystal structures, which all use ionic bonding (meaning they are inflexible) to form repeating patterns and structures. Some crystal structures are soft, like salt and lime, while others are quite hard, like mineral-based gemstones! Because of their ionic bonding patterns, salt crystals always have a square and rectangular shape. Even when crushed, salt still retains a square shape! When you look at salt crystals under a microscope, you can see the tiny square pieces and sharp edges of the crystals. Salt Crystal Experiment Hypothesis If you want to do the salt crystal feathers project as a science fair project, you need a hypothesis. You could compare the amount of salt to see which amount produces the biggest crystals. In that case, the hypothesis would be that the more salt, the bigger the crystals. Another variable to test is time in the salt water. Does leaving the feathers in the water longer lead to bigger crystal formation? Another possible hypothesis could be that a salt crystal will always have a square shape, no matter what it is grown on. Think about your own questions that you can answer with this salt crystal science experiment! How Long Does It Take for Salt Crystals to Grow? If you’re wondering how long does it take to grow salt crystals, the timeframe can vary. But if you follow this salt crystal recipe, you’ll get large crystals forming within an hour! Because of the supersaturated solution, these salt crystals grow much faster than in some recipes, and you’ll start seeing big results in less than 2 hours! The salt crystals will form on the feathers and the crystals will be completely formed within 24 hours. Simple science projects for the win! Wondering how do you grow salt crystals? Keep reading to get the supplies, science explanation, and steps! Materials for Salt Crystals This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Shop this list of ingredients to learn how to make salt crystal feathers with salt and water. Faux feathers Salt (1 regular size box of salt makes enough for 3 feathers) Clothespins Variations on How to Make Salt Crystal Feathers What we love the most about this salt crystals experiment is how easy it is to make. We’ve tried other kinds of crystals, but they just haven’t worked as well or held up as well as the salt version. We’ve kind of gone a bit nuts here recently with salt crystals. We started with a salt crystallization experiment for Halloween, then we made salt crystal leaves. Also check out how to grow crystals with salt! But when we saw these colorful feathers , we absolutely knew we had to cover them in salt crystals. Epsom salt crystals look pretty, but they disintegrate quickly. The borax crystals science project is fun, but they take a long time to grow! We tried doing the rock candy experiment a few weeks ago, but we wanted more crystals in our life! As a bonus, salt is super cheap, making learning how to make salt crystal feathers one of the least expensive crystal projects you can make! More Crystal Science Experiments Super Fun and Easy Crystal Science Fair Projects How to Make Crystals without Borax Make Breathtaking Epsom Salt Crystals Overnight! How to Make Alum Crystals Crystal Science Lesson Plan Bundle How to Make Salt Crystal Feathers that Grow Fast There are 2 ways to make big salt crystals. First, the bigger the feathers, the bigger your salt crystals will be. Also, the more supersaturated your solution, the bigger your salt crystals will be. Follow the directions outlined below and you’ll learn how to make big salt crystals! How to Make Big Salt Crystals Step by Step Make salt crystals in less than one hour! How to make salt crystal feathers is easier than you think! Just 3 things make these feather crystals! Stove or hot plate Instructions First, make your salt crystal water. We started by filling our mason jars with water. We then poured that water into a pot and added our Salt . Boil the water until the salt dissolves. Keep adding salt until the pot forms a layer of crystallized salt on top of the boiling water. It looks a bit like ice. When you have that much salt in the water, you know it will work. In fact, it works quite quickly. Pour the salty water into the mason jars. At this point, you'll have a layer of salt in the bottom of the pot. You can leave that out of your containers. They will crystallize just fine without it. Grab the end of your feather with a clothespin so you can suspend it over the center of the jar. Dip the feathers into the jars and set it in a sunny window. Your crystals will start to form in just a few minutes! Leave your feathers in the supersaturated solution for at least one hour. You will get the biggest crystals if you leave the feathers in your jar for 24 hours. Remove the crystals from the jar and let them dry on a paper towel. Examine the square shape of the crystals with a magnifying glass. Recommended Products As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. Want to save this project? Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram Share this project with a friend! Skip to main content Join All-Access Reading…Doors Are Open! Click Here All-Access Login Freebie Library Search this website Teaching with Jennifer Findley Upper Elementary Teaching Blog Leaf Salt Crystal Experiment Adding seasonal activities to your day to day plans can keep students engaged and interested in what they’re learning. Science experiments are no different! If you are looking for a great science activity to do with your upper elementary students this fall, this salt crystal experiment with leaves is one you don’t want to miss. Keep reading for a full list of materials and FREE printables to go along with the experiment! Want to see more science activities and resources ? Leaf Salt Crystal Experiment Materials Needed: wooden craft sticks leaves (real, plastic, paper, or pipe cleaner shaped will do) salt (about 1 cup per mason jar) hot water (about 1.5 cups per mason jar) optional: cold water (about 1.5 cups per mason jar) printable pack including the mason jar labels Leaf Salt Crystal Experiment Directions Gather your materials and decide how many crystal leaves you’d like to make and what type. We found that it works equally well on all materials. Cut out and attach the labels to your mason jars. Tie a string around each leaf and attach the other end of the string to a   wooden craft stick. The stick will rest across the top of the mason jar and allow the leaf to dangle in the salt water. If you not able to tie the string around the leave, you can punch a hole using a hole-puncher.  Next, you’ll need to create a supersaturated solution of hot water and salt. Using boiled water from an electrical tea kettle is most convenient in a classroom setting. You’ll need about 1.5 cups to fill up a mason jar. Fill up your labeled mason jars with hot water. Then begin pouring and stirring your salt into the jars. It takes about 1 cup of salt to make a supersaturated solution. Keep adding salt and stirring until the salt will no longer dissolve. We also chose to create one jar full of cold water to show that you can only create a supersaturated solution using hot water. Since the salt never dissolved in the cold water, no crystals formed on the leaf. Carefully lower your leaf into the water, resting the stick across the opening. Place your experiments on a shelf out of the way and do not disturb them for at least a couple of days.  Crystals will begin to form after about 24 hours but you should leave them alone for at least three days. The Science Behind the Leaf Salt Crystal Experiment Loading all that salt into the water creates a solution that is bursting and is so full of salt particles that it simply cannot hold anymore. Unlike in cold water where the molecules are very close together, the molecules in warm water move apart and there is more room to add salt. The salt particles in the solution will cling to the leaf and as the water evaporates, more and more salt particles to cling to each other. After the Experiment Reading Activity Adding reading and writing to a science experiment or activity allows you to enhance your students’ understanding and get more mileage from the activity. For this activity, the students will read a short text that describes the science behind it (similar to what is explained above for the teacher’s reference). The students will use the details they learned in the text to explain what happened during the science experiment. They will also answer four comprehension questions using details from the text. The questions your students will answer include: What are the two factors that this experiment relies on? Why is the mixture in this experiment called supersaturated? Why should you use hot water and not cold water? Where do the crystals come from? After reading the passage and answering the questions, you can invite your students to share their responses and have a classroom discussion. How Can I Get the Free Printable Pack? Click here or on the image below to download the leaf salt crystal experiment printable pack . What are your favorite science activities? Let me know in the comments! I am always looking for new science experiments that my students will love. If you want more resources and even freebies for science , click here to check out my other posts, such as apple oxidation, erosion with grass, dissolving Peeps, gingerbread cookies and candy hearts, creating avalanches and frost, states of matter with chocolate, experiments with growing plants and flowers (including a seed race), and much more. Shop This Post Science Centers with Reading Passages Free Science Activities to Start the Year 4th and 5th Grade Science Resources Share the knowledge, reader interactions. July 20, 2023 at 10:32 pm Looks like fun. Can’t wait to try it out. Thanks Leave a Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. TEACHING READING JUST GOT EASIER WITH ALL-ACCESS Join All-Access Reading to get immediate access to the reading resources you need to: teach your reading skills  support and grow your readers engage your students prepare them for testing and so much more! You may also love these freebies! Math Posters Reading Posters Morphology Posters Grammar Posters Welcome Friends! I’m Jennifer Findley: a teacher, mother, and avid reader. I believe that with the right resources, mindset, and strategies, all students can achieve at high levels and learn to love learning. My goal is to provide resources and strategies to inspire you and help make this belief a reality for your students. 20 Surprising Science Experiments with Salt (Kids Will Love Them) October 23, 2020 Science Experiments Our houses have many ingredients that serves as a key component for performing a lot many simple science experiments. I am sure, you would never imagine how useful SALT can be around your home to engage your kids with fun learning and to explore the world of science around you and your kids. Science Experiments with Salt All the experiments are super fun, simple, easy to do, no messy, easy to set up, and especially unique science activities. Here we go! 1. Salt Painting Science Experiment If you are looking for a simple science and art project , then this awesome salt painting science experiment is a great way to explore about simple concepts of science such as absorption. Pre-schoolers and home schoolers find this experiment a great way to learn science concepts. Find more details of this amazing science experiment here: Salt Painting Science Experiment 2. Desalinization Science Experiment The word ‘Desalinisation’ is an intimidating word for young children. But believe me, with this spectacular science experiment kids easily learn marine biology hands-on. Supplies and instructions for desalinisation are found here: Desalinisation Science Experiment 3. Floating Egg Science Experiment What happens to an egg placed in the salt water? Did you know that an egg can be floated in the water? Simple salt water experiment to teach kids about density and fresh water in a fun and entertaining way. Awesome kitchen science experiment for children of grades 1-5. Are you interested in learning the complete instructions of the experiment? Click on Floating Egg Science Experiment 4. Make Ice-Cream in a Bag Science Activity Kids will love to make their own ice creams and end up with a great tasting desert while learning a lot of chemistry science . This is such an awesome kitchen science experiment that finishes in 10 minutes . How cool is it!! Engage your kids in making ice cream with complete instructions. Find details here: Make Ice-Cream in a Bag Science Activity 5. Melting Ice Salt Science Experiment Children will learn how salt melts ice with this super cool science activity. It seems simple and easy but encourage kids to explore a lot of science. Do not miss to check out Melting Ice Salt Science Experiment for more information in detail.   6. Grow Salt Crystals Science Activity Growing salt crystals is a simple science experiment that is popular to make kids learn about chemical reactions involved to form crystals. Fun and engaging Easter Science Activity! Kids will have a ton of fun while learning how to grow salt crystals at the same time. Get more details of the experiment here: Grow Salt Crystals Science Activity 7 . Ice and Salt Science Experiment Here is an awesome science activity fills the days of the children in grades 1-7 with some simple science concepts. It’s a fun STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, Math) activity for kids. Check out here, Ice and Salt Science Experiment 8. Sticky Ice Science Experiment This kid’s friendly science experiment with ice is simply too cool, quick, easy, and little magical. Kids will get to learn about freezing point of water and its effects on salt in a fun way. Challenge your children to lift the ice cube just using a thread!   Click here Sticky Ice Science Experiment to learn full description of this super classic science experiment. 9. Egg Geodes Science Experiment Fun and successful science fair project with egg geodes make the children sharp in developing their critical thinking and questioning skills leaving a wow factor on their faces. Want to give it a try!? Click on Egg Geodes Science Experiment . 10. Homemade Slushy Drink with Ice and Salt Experiment Let your kids learn about freezing and melting points while having fun in making homemade slushy drink on their own. This simple science activity offers a great alternate method of making ice cream and cooling drinks very quickly. Sounds entertaining!! Get the complete description about this classic science experiment here: Homemade Slushy Drink with Ice and Salt Experiment 11. Salt Vibrations STEAM Activity Here on it is not intimidating to understand the concept of sounds. Easy and fun science STEAM activity that teaches kids about sounds caused by vibrations. In fact, kids are allowed to enjoy this demonstration that actually shows kids the sound waves in action. Click on Salt Vibrations STEAM Activity 12. Salt Water Experiment Ocean Science A terrific salt science experiment for pre-schoolers! An awesome kitchen science experiment to teach kids about density of salt water versus fresh water. This experiment offers great time to learn about the difference between fresh river water and salty ocean water. What a cool activity! Click on Salt Water Experiment Ocean Science to find more details 13. Growing Gummy Bears Science Experiment Have you ever wondered of watching growing gummy bears? Do you think it is hard to witness? Absolutely not! Do this simple science experiment to show how this common kitchen hold mineral effects gummy bears? Check out here to find simple step-by-step information and instructions: Growing Gummy Bears Science Experiment 1 4 . Rainbow Salt Circuit Science Experiment Creating an electric circuit using common kitchen hold mineral i.e. salt is an amazing experience for the kids. A great hands-on examination on circuits making kids scientific knowledge on power and circuits little more interesting and exciting. Are you interested in creating your own salt circuit with water? Then click on Rainbow Salt Circuit Science Experiment 15. Cleaning Pennies Science Experiment All the kids love to play with pennies and while playing they even observed at times some pennies look dull and some other look bright. Just remind your children about this and ask them to guess what the reason behind that is. Let them explain their versions and then explain them about this cool science experiment. They love to do this hands-on activity to watch the magical results of cleaning pennies. Just browse Cleaning Pennies Science Experiment 16. Salt Pendulum Science Experiment Salt pendulum is a fun art and science fair project for kids of all ages. Let your kids explore the science behind changing times and pendulums hands-on. While investigating the experiment ask your child to predict the time according to the movements of pendulums and predict what impacts time change. Also help them to understand the concept by explaining how salt effects this experiment in a fun way. Find more details of the experiment here: Salt Pendulum Science Experiment 17. Popcorn and Salt Science Experiment Let your kiddos think about their own scientific thought process with this easy and simple science activity to do with salt and popcorns. Using just three ingredients you can bring a lot of change in your child’s scientific knowledge. Easy to set up experiment with great results, highlights the difference between mass and volume using kid’s most favourite snack. Are you ready to experiment with popcorns and salt : Popcorn and Salt Science Experiment 18. Lava Lamp Cool Science Experiment An excellent way to explore density of liquids using simple ingredients you have right in your kitchen. Fun way to explore density of liquids and great opportunity to practice mixing colors. Besides, this is an easy going science and sensory play experiment as it makes children much more excited and attentive to study the simple science concepts using salt. Click on Lava Lamp Cool Science Experiment for more information. 19. Static Electricity Balloon and Salt and Pepper Experiment Children might have observed a balloon sticking to something like hair strands, comb, salt, etc.  Throw a question to your children on the magical science involved in this process of sticking to things. Static Electricity Balloon and Salt and Pepper experiment is all about explaining static electricity in a fun way. Isn’t it excited? Best and simple science experiment for your elementary children : Static Electricity Balloon and Salt and Pepper Experiment 20. Solid-Solid Separation science Experiment An amazing easy fun science activity that teaches kids to understand about three science concepts i.e. evaporation, sedimentation, and filtration. How amazing is it to explain the three main science concepts while performing a single science investigation. Click on Solid-Solid Separation science Experiment So, here are the simple and easy science experiments to do with common kitchen hold mineral, salt. There is a lot of science involved in these super cool experiments that will surely amaze you and your kids. Simple science experiments that everyone will love! Fun and fascinating experiments for toddlers , pre-schoolers, and even some are perfect for older kids. Have a look and enjoy experimenting with salt. Happy Experimenting!! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name  * Email  * Add Comment  * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Post Comment natural Living activities for kids Easy recipes just for moms Essential Oils Natural Homemade Ideas Natural Solutions Arts and Crafts Playdough and Slime Sensory Activities Backyard Chickens Easy DIY Projects & Crafts Organizing Tips Tips and Hacks Caring for Yourself Product Reviews Living Well Mom I help moms with simple, natural ways to look after their families. Find recipes, fun stuff for kids, and simple DIY ideas. Plus natural solutions made easy peasy! Salt Crystal Snowflakes Winter Fun for Kids featured seasonal STEM activity winter This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It can be hard to find an activity that is both fun for kids and filled with learning opportunities. This DIY  salt crystal snowflake project combines the best of both, plus adds a fun seasonal twist! If your kids are anything like mine, they are obsessed  with snow and snowflakes. And who can blame them? Each snowflake is unique and they are seriously pretty! We don’t get a lot of snow where we live, but we do love it and anything to do with snowflakes during the winter. This year, we decided to bring some winter into our house with these pretty salt crystal snowflakes. Salt Crystal Snowflakes: a STEM Activity Have you heard of STEM activities? If not, let me explain what it is. STEM is an acronym that stands for: T echnology E ngineering With today’s technology-centered world, STEM activities help prepare children for the future through play! This is a perfect example. Salt crystal snowflakes are simple to make and so much fun, kids won’t even realize they’re learning about science too! How to Make a Crystal Snowflakes Not only will your children learn those STEM skills, but this also happens to be an incredibly easy and frugal project too! What you’ll need to make salt crystal snowflakes: How to Make Snowflake Crystals Step by Step This project was a seasonal take on one my kids did in the fall. We had such fun making our salt crystal leaves , I knew our salt crystal snowflakes would be even prettier! We used off-brand salt to keep the costs low. Our salt container was less than $1! You definitely don’t need the fancy salt for this one. Insider mom tip: Before letting your kids join you for this project, I recommend making the saltwater in advance. You will need to heat about 3 cups of water per mason jar (what we did was fill the jar and dump it into a pot). When the water boils, start adding salt. Keep pouring it in until crystals start to form on the surface of the water. It will take almost the entire container of salt for three snowflakes, so don’t be shy about adding it. When the water is cooling, let the kids design their own snowflakes from chenille stems. You may have to provide some guidance or help for younger children, but older ones can easily do this on their own. Just make sure the snowflakes can fit easily through the mouth of each jar. When the snowflakes are designed, attach a chenille stem hanger to the top of each snowflake so you can suspend it in the mason jar. Suspend the snowflakes in the saltwater using a clothespin to hold them in place. Let the snowflakes sit in a sunny window for 2-3 days. After 2-3 days, remove your snowflakes and let them dry. Your salt crystal snowflakes are ready! How to Use the Snowflake Crystals Now that your salt crystals are made, your kids can continue learning! Hang them from a window or just admire their beautiful designs! My kids loved inspecting the snowflakes with a magnifying glass to see the individual crystals up close. You can even have them log their observations in a journal or a notebook. More Fun Activities for Kids: Instant Ice – STEM experiment How to make Oobleck for Kids DIY Stress Ball for Kids How to Make a Glittery Underwater Volcano Seed Sprouting Indoor Activity Pin this image for later! Dear Mom, Join the Living Well Mom Insiders Abigail Lopez says February 14, 2017 at 5:38 pm Hi!! My daughter and I tried this but they didnt turn out how the picture looks. Do you know how long I let the water and salt boil for and do I stire it at all. Also do i let the salt water cool off in the pot before transferring to the mason jars? Thank you so much! Abigail L. Bhavna L says November 27, 2017 at 11:21 am Use Borax instead of salt. The crystals are translucent – prettier than the salt and works! Kathy Nutter says March 22, 2017 at 9:15 am Can you use something besides chenille strips to make the snowflakes? Or is that the only thing they would stick to? Scarlet says December 13, 2019 at 10:10 am What a fun crystal snowflake project for the kids. I love that it is focused on the season, crafty, and science related all at once:) December 13, 2019 at 1:36 pm Thank you, Scarlet! January 17, 2020 at 2:22 pm These are great! I can’t wait to try these with my kids. I just bought pipe cleaners so we can check it out! I wanted to let you know I featured this fun winter kids’ activity in my recent post: https://amysenter.com/january-pinterest-roundup/ Love the blog! January 17, 2020 at 3:57 pm Thanks, Amy! December 19, 2020 at 5:30 pm What is the science you explained behind the crystal transformation? I usually have my kids predict first and then explain what happened after. Do you have a simple way you explained it? Colleen says December 30, 2020 at 7:47 am I’m not sure how often you respond to questions. I’m planning on doing this activity with my preschool students. How ahead of time can you heat the salt water up before the activity. It would probably be best if I could do this around 7:30 or 8 than have them make the snowflakes and put them in the mason jars around 10 which is there small group time. I’m not sure if it still needs to be warm to work. Thank you January 4, 2021 at 11:16 am The water does need to be warm – you would need to heat it up closer to 10am for it to work. Unfortunately 7 or 8am is too early and it would cool too much. September 3, 2021 at 4:25 pm Hello! I’ve been looking at the leaf and snowflake activity but I can’t determine how much salt to use. I clicked on the link for the salt for the leaves and it showed a 4 lb box. And the snowflake recipe the salt link showed 1.6 lb. I don’t want to begin the projects until I know how much I need to use for the 3 mason jars. Thank you! I look forward to creating these! I did it with powdered laundry detergent as a kid. September 7, 2021 at 1:36 pm Sorry for the confusion. We are talking about the round 26oz container of salt. December 15, 2021 at 1:35 pm I am so excited to try this! Do you think this would work with sparkley pipe cleaners? Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Living well is a journey not a destination A star exploded in a distant galaxy, and it made history in Northeast Ohio at Morton Salt 170,000 years later Updated: Aug. 30, 2024, 5:54 p.m. | Published: Aug. 30, 2024, 9:00 a.m. A plaque at Headlands Beach State Park recognizes an historic science experiment conducted in the neighboring Morton Salt Mine. Peter Krouse, cleveland.com Peter Krouse, cleveland.com FAIRPORT HARBOR, Ohio – On Feb. 23, 1987, deep within the Morton Salt mine near Fairport Harbor, a science project undertaken by a team of physicists accidentally captured something that would change the face of physics and astronomy forever. It was a burst of neutrinos, elusive sub-atomic particles released by an exploding star called a supernova some 170,000 years ago. Most Popular Stories by Peter Krouse Postponed Blazing Paddles Paddlefest! rescheduled for September Wicked storm that whipped across Cleveland area included gust of 86 mph Damage to Holden Arboretum Canopy Walk more serious than thought Cleveland Clinic grew dramatically under CEO Toby Cosgrove 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map places much of Ohio and the country in warmer areas If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. 159 IMAGES How To Make Monster Salt Crystals Crystallization Experiment How to make Hanging Crystals? Make Breathtaking Epsom Salt Crystals Overnight! Magic Salt Crystal Experiment Salt Crystals Experiment. Grow your own crystals with salt and… VIDEO Burning Random Things 🔥#carbon #experiment Salt Crystal Infection WATCH: Salt water has feelings too!! EXPERIMENT #2 This Metal Can Make You Reach🤑 #shorts #trending #sciencefacts Salt Crystals Experiment Liquid crystals experiment COMMENTS 3 Ways to Make Salt Crystals 3. Stir in as much salt as you can. Take the pan off the heat. Pour in about ¼-½ cup (60-120mL) of your salt and stir until the water is clear. If you don't see any salt grains in the water, stir in another spoonful. Keep stirring in more salt until you see salt grains that won't dissolve when you stir. Salt Crystals Science Experiment The salt dissolves in the heated water. As the water cools, it becomes less able to hold the salt. The salt then clings to the string and forms crystals. Make This A Science Project: Experiment with different types of solutions and observe and record any differences in the rate of crystals creation. How to make salt crystals An easy way to make salt crystals is to dissolve table salt in water and leave the solution somewhere warm until the water evaporates, leaving behind sparkly salt crystals. We also made coloured salt by adding a little food colouring. This activity and more salt science experiments can be found in a salt science activity sheet made as part of a ... Salt Crystals Step 2: Make the supersaturated solution. Add 1/4 cup sea salt to 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Stir well to ensure as much salt as possible is dissolved into the water. If all the salt is dissolved keep adding more salt, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir well and keep adding salt until no more can be dissolved. How to Grow Salt Crystals at Home (With Salt & Water) For example, try using different salts - repeat the experiment with sea salt, un-iodized salt, Epsom salt, borax salt, and iodized salt. Check the different shapes of crystals formed. Change the solvent - instead of tap water, try it with distilled water and observe changes in crystal shapes. How to Grow Salt Crystals Tips for Success . Experiment with different types of table salt.Try iodized salt, un-iodized salt, sea salt, or even salt substitutes.Try using different types of water, such as tap water compared with distilled water.See if there is any difference in the appearance of the crystals. PDF Grow your own crystals at home! SALT CRYSTAL EXPERIMENT Grow your own crystals at home! t you'll need: 1/2cup (120 ml) of tap water or distilled water 1/2 cup (120 ml) of salt (table salt, Epsom salt, or alum salt) One small pan String Pencil or popsicle stick Food coloring dye (optional) A helpful adult Salt Crystals Experiment This salt crystals experiment would make an easy science fair project. You could experiment with different water temperatures, different trays or plates, or covering the crystals slightly to minimize heat loss. You could also vary the type of salt used. What happens to drying time or crystal formation if you use rock salt or Epsom salt? Crystallization Experiment You want to know how to grow salt crystals? Check out our crystallization experiment! In this video we show you an easy and fast DIY science project you can ... How to Grow Salt Crystals Overnight Heat the water in the microwave for 45 seconds. Alternatively use very hot tap water and skip the microwave. Step Three | Add Color If you are using color, add a dash of food coloring to the water. Stir. Step Four | Combine Pour the water into the jar with the salt. How to Make Salt Crystals Salt Crystals Experiment. Keep the arrangement in a safe place free of any disturbance. If you want to grow crystals fast, place the jar in the sun or near a fan. The lump so created will, however, consist of small crystals as they stop increasing size after a certain period. If you want a large single crystal instead, keep it in a cool, shady ... Science experiment for kids to grow salt crystals Salt Crystals. Boil about 1 cup (250 ml) water. Add 1/4 cup salt. The solution will be supersaturated when salt crystals begin to collect on the bottom of the pan. Soak a piece of cardboard in the solution until it is saturated and sinks to the bottom of the pan. The cardboard will act as a template or base for crystal growth. Grow Salt Crystals Grow Your Own Salt Crystals. Fill the jar with water. Add about half a cup of salt to the water. Mix the solution together with a spoon. Cut a piece of string with scissors and tie each end to a toothpick. Place the string over the top of the jar so that the string dangles into the middle of the solution and the toothpicks hang over the edge. Salt Crystals Experiment The full lesson plan can be found here:https://science.cikeys.com/salt-crystals/For this experiment, students are going to make salt crystals by only using w... Crystals of Salt After a few days, a layer of small crystals will grow at the base. Step 2: Pour the liquid and select a seed crystal with the pair of tweezers. Step 3: Attach a smooth wire or fishing line to one side of the crystal. Step 4: Make a new solution with the same salt used above. Step 5: Transfer the salt solution into a clean jar and place the seed ... Grow Your Own Crystals Boil your kettle and let it cool. Ask an adult to help you fill a jar or glass with warm water. Add several teaspoons of salt to the water and stir until all the salt has dissolved. Keep adding, a teaspoon at a time, and repeat this until no more salt will dissolve. Tie a paper clip onto the end of a piece of string and wrap this around a straw. Salt Crystal Science Experiment In this science demonstration, kids will learn about particles that make up matter by making this salt crystal science experiment! Get the template for this ... Cool Crystals Materials ¼ cup Epsom salt ¼ cup hot water Food coloring A cup A plate Optional: a small jar Instructions In the cup, measure out ¼ cup Epsom salt and ¼ hot water from the sink. Stir them together. If all the salt doesn't dissolve, heat the cut in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. When all the salt is dissolved, put a drop or two of food coloring in the cup and stir to mix. Place the cup ... Crystal Science Experiment at Home Salt Crystal Science Experiment. Step 1: Wrap the end of a pipe cleaner around a garden stick. Label the garden stick "Salt" with chalk. Step 2: Boil 1/2 cup of water. Step 3: Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of salt, and stir until all the salt is dissolved. You should see small crystals forming on the surface of the water. How to Make Salt Crystal Feathers Fast (less than 1 hour!) When you look at salt crystals under a microscope, you can see the tiny square pieces and sharp edges of the crystals. Salt Crystal Experiment Hypothesis . If you want to do the salt crystal feathers project as a science fair project, you need a hypothesis. You could compare the amount of salt to see which amount produces the biggest crystals. Leaf Salt Crystal Experiment Leaf Salt Crystal Experiment Directions. Gather your materials and decide how many crystal leaves you'd like to make and what type. We found that it works equally well on all materials. Cut out and attach the labels to your mason jars. Tie a string around each leaf and attach the other end of the string to a wooden craft stick. 20 Surprising Science Experiments with Salt (Kids Will Love Them) Growing salt crystals is a simple science experiment that is popular to make kids learn about chemical reactions involved to form crystals. Fun and engaging Easter Science Activity! Kids will have a ton of fun while learning how to grow salt crystals at the same time. Get more details of the experiment here: Grow Salt Crystals Science Activity ... Salt Crystal Snowflake: Easy Winter STEM Science for Kids Just make sure the snowflakes can fit easily through the mouth of each jar. When the snowflakes are designed, attach a chenille stem hanger to the top of each snowflake so you can suspend it in the mason jar. Suspend the snowflakes in the saltwater using a clothespin to hold them in place. Let the snowflakes sit in a sunny window for 2-3 days. A star exploded in a distant galaxy, and it made history in Northeast A science prject 2,000 feet below the ground at Morton Salt near Fairport Harbor was groundbreaking for its detection of neutrinos released from a supernova 170,000 years ago. essay homework paper phd project resume review speech thesis