Crystal Christmas Trees

Amidst my online Christmas shopping this year, I came across some Christmas craft kits and ideas, which I usually reject because (as I wrote in my previous post) I'm not a very crafty mom in general and can't seem to muster a lot of extra energy/motivation this year. However, one struck my eye since it was more of the scienc-y type (based in chemistry processes). Iver was gifted a Little Passports STEM subscription last year by my parents, and has really enjoyed doing the little "experiments" within each box, so I thought he'd have fun with this, too.

You can buy crystal growing kits from vendors like Lakeshore Learning, one of my favorite companies for children's toys and gifts. However, I found a DIY version at the Green Kid Crafts website and, since the ingredients were things I had at home already (with the exception of Mrs. Stewart's Bluing which I did order online because I had never heard of it!), I went ahead and planned to do this with Iver this past week. 

It was actually really easy and fun, and turned out well! 

Supplies you need are:
- cardboard, scissors
- markers, food coloring, or paint
- 4 Tbsp table salt
- 4 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp ammonia (optional, but helps speed up the crystallization process)
- 4 Tbsp Mrs. Stewart's Bluing (ferric hexacyanoferrate) 

- dish

As the directions on the site describe, you:

1. Cut out cardboard trees with slits in them to form interlocking trees that will stand upright

2. Color/paint the trees various colors

3. Place them standing upright in the dish

4. Mix up:  4 Tbsp warm water, 4 Tbsp table salt, 4 Tbsp Mrs. Stewart's Bluing, 2 Tbsp ammonia, and pour the the suspension in the bottom of the dish

5. Wait for crystals to grow via capillary action, evaporation, and crystallization (which takes a few hours- overnight and really looks like "snow")!

It's important to not bump the dish during the crystallization process. The ammonia is also quite pungent, so store in a well-ventilated location safe and separate from regular activities/shenanigans (we stuck it in our laundry room at a height above our toddler)! If you want your trees to "grow" more, you can mix up and add more solution.

 day 1

 

day 2

Day 5

If you are science-oriented and/or have science-loving kids (or just need a rainy day activity!), I highly recommend trying out this very easy "experiment" during your holiday season!