Rainbow Crystals
A fun and educational craft project to create stunning, colorful crystals at home using simple materials.
Ingredients
Materials
- 3 tablespoons Borax powder Found in laundry aisles
- 2 cups Water For the solution
- 1 each Glass jars One for each color
- as needed various Food coloring Your choice of colors
- 1 each Pipe cleaners Any shape you like
- 1 each String or fishing line To suspend the pipe cleaner
- 1 each Pencil To suspend the pipe cleaner in the jar
- 1 each Stirring stick For mixing the solution
- 1 each Saucepan For heating water
Instructions
Preparation
- Shape the pipe cleaners into fun shapes such as stars or hearts, and tie a piece of string to the top.
Create the Borax Solution
- Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.
- Once boiling, add about 3 tablespoons of Borax to the water and stir until dissolved.
- Add food coloring to the solution for each jar to achieve your desired colors.
Set Up Your Crystals
- Pour the prepared Borax solution into glass jars, leaving some space at the top.
- Tie the other end of the string to a pencil and lay it across the top of the jar, allowing the pipe cleaner to hang in the solution without touching the sides or bottom.
Wait for Crystals to Form
- Place the jars in a cool, undisturbed location and leave them. Crystals will start forming within a few hours and can fully develop overnight.
Notes
Explore different shapes and sizes of pipe cleaners for unique crystal forms. Experiment with layering colors and temperatures to vary the size and appearance of your crystals.