Crystal Cane
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If youâve made it this far then Iâm willing to bet Christmas is almost upon us but there might just be enough time left to make one extra ornament for the Christmas tree and learn a little bit about how crystals are formed too!
What do I need?
- Borax
- Pint of water
- Pipe cleaner
- Scissors
- Stick
- Sting
STEP1Â â To make sure our Crystal Canes donât get stuck to the side of the glass the first step is to get an adult to help cut our pipe cleaner in half.
WARNING: Never drink Borax. Make sure you label and store it correctly and wash your hands after your finish experimenting!
STEP2 â Get an adult to help out with filling your pint glass with some very warm water.
STEP3 â Add a table spoon of borax at a time and stir it in. Keep going until you canât dissolve anymore and there is a white layer at the bottom of the glass.
STEP4 â Tie a piece of string around your pipe cleaner cane and your stick.
STEP5Â â Lower our pipe cleaner cane into you glass making sure it doesnât touch the bottom or the sides.
STEP6Â â Leave overnight for your Crystal Cane to form!
Whatâs going on?
Alright, alright! The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that this experiment is pretty similar to the Scientific Snowflake.
Who doesnât want an extra ornament for their Christmas tree as well as an awesome way to reinforce our learnings about crystallisation.
When you mix your borax with your warm water so that some remains undissolved you maximised the amount of borax that the water can hold. As the water begins to cool the amount of borax your water can âholdâ starts to come down. Your borax is âlookingâ for somewhere to go. Your pipe cleaner cane is kind of rough and offers the perfect place for your borax to settle (as opposed to the smooth sides of your glass).
More Fun Please! -Â Experiment like a real scientist!
- How does the temperature of the water affect  the outcome of this experiment?!
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You'll get your FREE copy of 'Don't Eat Your Slime', weekly 'Top Secret Science Experiment Printables' and occasional awesome offers. Happy experimenting! đ
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