How to make Borax Crystals

Learn to make Borax Crystals for one of the coolest kids’ craft projects! Supplies are minimal but the design possibilities are endless!

You may be surprised to learn that creating your own sparkling crystals at home is not only possible, but can also be a fun and educational activity. In this post, we will explore the process of making Borax crystals, a simple yet fascinating science experiment that will have you feeling like a scientist and artist all at once. I’ll cover the materials and steps needed to create your own unique crystal creations! So get ready to tap into your inner scientist and let’s embark on a fun kids craft!

This project is part of my Kid’s Craft camp! Make sure to click on the image to see all 50 craft ideas!

Supplies needed to make Borax Crystals

Pipe cleaners (are they still called pipe cleaners?)
skewer or popsicle stick
Borax
Hot water
Cup
String
Scissors

How to grow your own crystals

Step 1: Boil Water

Your borax and water mixture needs to be HOT, so start boiling water while the kids move on to step 2.

Step 2: Create your shapes

Your pipe cleaner color will determine what color the crystal will be- so pick a color you like and bend it into a fun design or shape. Stars, flowers, letters, etc. You can print out templates for the kids to use as a guide.

You will want to make sure that the design fits the cup. You can make crystals in a bowl as well, it just requires more water and borax so if you want to do a bigger shape, then go for it!

Fun Twist: Scrunch the pipe cleaners together to create a big crystal-like gems!

Step 3: Create hangers

Since we want the crystals to go evenly, you need to suspend your pipe cleaners so they aren’t touching the sides or bottom. We added a little thread or string and tied them to a skewer (popsicle sticks works great too). Put them into the cup and make sure they fit. The crystals will grow, and will make the pipe cleaner larger, so if the pipe cleaner barely fits, it might not be able to pull out without knocking some crystals off!

Step 4: Mix together your crystal solution

You need

2 cups BOILING water
1/2 cup Borax

You need to stir the mixture until the borax is completely dissolved. This part does involve boiling water, so you might need to do these next few steps if your kids are little.

Step 5: Pour into your cup (or bowl)

You will want to make sure that the solution covers the pipe cleaner completely. I already have the hanging pipe cleaner design in my cup so I add just enough solution to cover it without overfilling it.

Step 6: Wait!

This is the hard part! You have to have some patience because the crystals take a few hours to grow! The benefit of using a glass jar is so you can see the crystals start to build!

I checked mine after 4 hours and they were covered with crystals. I did leave them overnight to see if anymore cyrstals formed, which a few more did! So you can decide just how long you want to wait!

Step 6: Remove

Pull out your new cool crystals and place on a towel or a napkin to dry off! You can leave the string if you want to hang them up, or you can snip it off!

They are so sparkly and pretty! They do break off, so be careful with them!

How does it work? The Science behind growing crystals

Cyrstals grow through a process called recrystallization, where a solution of compounds can be dissolved in hot water and then cooled. As it cools, one substance crystallized and can be removed from the rest of the liquid, which holds the other compound.

Tips and tricks to grow crystals

I noticed a lot of crystals formed at the bottom, so I think the closer the pipecleaners are to the bottom the faster they grow!

I was nervous the crystals would ruin my cup, but I soaked it with hot water and they dissolved and came off pretty easy.

Like I mentioned above, you can do bigger projects, you just need bigger containers! I have seen tiktocs where people put skulls (for Halloween), actual rocks, and even a book in this solution to get crystals!

Someone mentioned you can recycle the borax and water solution, just heat it back up to boiling and it should work again! (I haven’t tried it to be sure!)

Save for later

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