Today, I am sharing the method for these beautiful spring crystal flowers. Crystal flowers are really easy to make, and are fast growing, so you don’t have to wait long periods of time to observe the results of your experiment. They make a beautiful spring craft with the kids and you can talk about the science behind how the crystals grow afterwards!
To make these spring crystal flowers you will need:
– Borax
– Pipe cleaners
– Craft sticks
– String
– Scissors
– Food coloring
– Boiling Water
– Disposable Spoon
– Disposable plastic cup or jar
Warning: Please be especially careful when using borax AND hot water around small children. Use appropriate safety precautions such as gloves, and always ensure that you are watching your children if they are likely to put anything in their mouths. Borax can generally be found in the cleaning aisle at your local supermarket.
Instructions:
Step 1. Bend your pipe cleaners into flower shapes.
Step 2. Attach your flower pipe cleaner to the craft stick using your string.
Step 3. Fill your disposable cup or jar with approximately 300ml of boiling water and add 1/2 cup of borax. Stir until the borax is dissolved. Once the borax is dissolved add your food coloring to the mix. The more food coloring you add, the darker color your crystals will be. Completely submerge your pipe cleaner in the borax solution.
Step 4. As the solution cools, you will see crystals starting to form around the pipe cleaners. Leave the solution for several hours to overnight. We submerged our pipe cleaners at 12pm and by approximately 1.20pm definite crystals had formed. The longer you leave your crystals, the larger they will grow.
Step 5. Once you are happy with your crystals, remove them from the solution and allow to dry on a piece of paper or kitchen towel. We dried ours overnight, and found that the longer they are left to dry, the better.
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Step 6. Once your crystals are dried, you can attach some string or decorative tape to make a flower ornament or mobile. Please be gentle with your crystals though, as they are very delicate and will crumble easily.
Have you tried making borax crystals before? They’re a fun science experiment to try with the kids! For more crystal fun, check out this giant rainbow crystal!
Take a look at more creative projects for kids.
About The Author: Jacinta is an Australian based Scientist and Mama of three, hoping to inspire creative kids and fun mums, families and educators. She posts simple and easy projects on her Instagram page @cintaandco.
Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.