Julie from Macaroni Kid Johnstown Laurel Highlands Altoona is back with a fun craft for kids: Crystal Snowflakes!
Make Your Own Snowflakes!
Directions from Julie:
"This is a really fun and easy craft to make and to watch happen! My son used it in elementary school in conjunction with his science fair project which had to do with snow.
You need:
3 cups of hot water
9 tablespoons of Borax (a laundry booster)
a glass or a jar
string or pipe cleaners (solid, sparkly!, use your imagination!)
1. Tie your string into the shape of a snowflake or take a pipe cleaner and cut it into thirds
(leaving one end slightly longer so it can be hung inside the glass)
2. Twist the 3 pieces together in the center and spread out the arms to look like a snow flake.Mix the borax in the hot water to dissolve. It will be cloudy at first but will become clearer. Make sure to dissolve completely. If needed, reheat in microwave and stir. (The ratio of Borax to water is 3 tablespoons per cup....you can adjust your amounts for as deep as your vessel is and how many snowflakes you want to make.)
3. Tie one end to a string and tie to a pencil or loop long end of pipe cleaner over a pencil. Lower your snowflake into the mixture.
4. Let snowflake sit for several hours or overnight without touching it. You should begin to see crystals forming in a few hours! You can see them beginning to form in the jar!
5. These make great decorations!
Julie says, "I think it would be also fun to shape red pipe cleaners into hearts and attach to your Valentines!"
P.S....why does this happen? As the water cools, the bond between the Boax and the water breaks and the Borax attaches to the bottom of the jar and the pipe cleaner!
