Schedule Tour
We recently grew a crystal garden in the Robins’ class and it captured the interest of the children and adults alike. This is a really fun science experiment which could be easily recreated at home.
Ingredients:
6-7 Charcoal briquettes
A pie pan
6 Tablespoons salt
6 Tablespoons water
6 Tablespoons laundry bluing (This can be found in the laundry aisle at most stores)
1 Tablespoon ammonia
Food coloring
Directions:
For best results, break up briquettes into smaller pieces ( I used a hammer). Place pieces in the pie pan. Mix salt, water, bluing, and ammonia and spoon mixture over charcoal. We had extra so we saved it in a covered jar to use later on. After this was done, the Robins took turns using pipettes to add their favorite color to the charcoals.
Day 2:
The following morning, the Robins gathered around to see the beautiful crystal garden that had grown over night. Although we used many different colors, the garden was mostly blue and green. The Robins examined the crystals through magnifying glasses and drew their observations. We discussed the concepts of absorption and evaporation. We learned that crystals were growing because the salt in our mixture did not evaporate the same way as the liquids. (For a more in depth scientific explanation, visit http://www.mrsstewart.com/pages/explanation.html). At the end of the day, we added the remaining mixture to the bottom of the dish, careful not to disturb the growing crystals.
Day 3:
Again, the Robins rushed into the classroom, eager to see if the garden had changed. It had! The children noticed crystals were growing up the sides of the dish. It was really tempting to touch the garden, but we quickly learned that touching the crystals damages them.
Day 4:
By day 4, some of the children began to lose interest, but a few asked what would happen to the garden over the coming weekend. It was decided to make another batch of the mixture. We poured it into the dish before we left that Friday evening. We were all interested. What would happen?
Day 7:
A week has gone by since began our crystal garden experiment. The crystal garden has gone wild! So many changes happened over the weekend. The “coral like” crystals changed color and shape. Now they resembled a head of broccoli or cauliflower.
Day 8:
Our garden is still growing and changing and we’re still using our scientific observation skills. Be sure to ask your student about the crystal garden…
Thanks for reading!
Miss Crystal and Miss Julie