Crystal Snowflake Experiment

We had a sick boy the last couple of days, so we did what any self-respecting homeschool family would - we made Borax snowflake crystals. They came out really cool! We're going to try some later this week using food coloring, just to see. Here's how we did it, from the website www.creativekidsathome.com:

Materials - pipe cleaners, thread, wool, water, borax, disposable container (we used Cool-Whip tubs)

Create the snowflake shapes from pipe cleaners. Ours, as you can see from the pics, look kind of like fancy pretzels, but you can kind of see the sparkle. Cut one pipe cleaner in three pieces and twist them together in the center. Tie a thread or wool around each of the arms to create a circle.Take one pipe cleaner and twirl it into a spiral shape.Take two pipe cleaners and twist them together in the center. Bend the pieces to create square or rectangular sections of the snowflake.

Choose a container that is wide and deep enough to allow the snowflakes to float freely. Find a stick or ruler that can sit across the top of the container. Use the thread to tie the snowflakes to the stick.

Have an adult heat some water to boiling and pour it into the container. Add about 1/4 cup of borax for every 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until it dissolves. If all the borax dissolves, continue adding more borax until a bit is left not dissolved.

Put the stick over the container so that all the snowflakes are floating in the borax solution. Try to arrange them so that they don't touch each other.
Leave them over night to let the crystals form.

Borax is a mineral (sodium tetraborate) that is commonly sold as a laundry booster. I personally use the 20 Mule Team Borax, available at any grocery store. Do not use laundry soap with borax added.

Borax is a chemical and must be handled with care. Never leave it where young children can get to it.

Hints:
Use colored pipe cleaners to create colorful snowflakes.

Try adding food coloring to the solution to get colorful snowflakes.