Grades 4 and 5
A crystal is a special kind of solid. Growing crystals introduces children to change and variation.
What You Need
- A magnifying glass
- Table salt
- Epsom salt
- Honey container
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Paper cut into circles
- Safety scissors
- Pencil
What to Do
Help your child to use a magnifying glass to look for crystals. Inspect the table salt, Epsom salt and honey container (particularly if it has been open for awhile). Ask your child to draw pictures in her journal of what she observes. Do all of the crystals look the same? If not, how are they different?
Have your child try dissolving salt crystals and forming new ones. Help her to do the following:
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water.
- Heat the mixture over low heat to evaporate the water. < !!! >
Snowflakes are made of ice crystals. They're beautiful, but hard to see clearly. Making paper snowflakes will give your child an idea of what snowflakes look like. Have her:
- Take a circle of paper (use thin paper) and fold it in half.
- Fan-fold it.
- Make cuts along all the edges.
- Unfold them.
When certain liquids and gases cool and lose water, crystals are formed. Crystals are made up of molecules that fit neatly together in an orderly package. All crystals of the same material have the same shape, regardless of their size.
