Make a Snowflake with Crystals

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Make a Snowflake with Crystals
Mrs. Hockett's second grade class
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WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1. WHITE PIPE CLEANERS 2. STRING 3. A PENCIL OR
POPCICLE STICK 4. A JAR WITH A WIDE OPENING 5.
BOILING WATER 6. BORAX 7. BLUE FOOD COLORING
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Cut a pipe cleaner into three equal pieces.
Twist these pieces together in the center to make
a six-pointed star. Each arm of the star should
be about the same length. Tie a piece of string
to the tip of one of the star arms. Then run the
string along the outer edges of the star,
twisting it around the end of each star arm as
you go. This will make the snowflake shape.
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Attach another piece of string to the tip of one
of the pipe cleaner arms in your snowflake. Tie
the other end of the string to a pencil or
popcicle stick. Fill a wide mouth jar with
boiling water and measure how much you use. For
each cup of water you pour in the jar, add 3
tbsp. of Borax. Add the Borax a little at a
time, and keep stirring until most of it has
dissolved. You can now add a few drops of blue
food coloring if you wish.
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Lower your snowflake into the jar so that its
covered by the liquid. Keep it hanging there by
resting your pencil or popsicle stick across the
top of the jar.
6
Keep your snowflake in the jar overnight. In the
morning you will have a snowflake covered with
crystals. Hang your creation in a window or use
it as a decoration.
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Why did crystals form on the snowflake?
Hot water can hold more of a substance (like
Borax) than cold water,so when the boiling water
begins to cool it is not able to hold all the
Borax crystals that you dissolved in it while it
was hot. The crystals are forced out of the
water and begin to build up on top of each other
until your snowflake is covered with them.