Fun Experiments
Growing Salt Crystals 
Here's a cool crystal growing recipe that we tried - it only takes a few days! 
  •  Combine 5 teaspoons of cold water and salt into a cup 
  •  Stir the solution until the liquid settles 
  •  Pour it in a small saucer 
  •  Observe the changes  
 In about two days, you'll see crystals.  
  •  Take out the biggest crystal with a pair of tweezers 
  •  Put the crystal in a new salt solution 
You can try other chemicals such as sugar, acid, laundry detergent, and other types of things around the house. 

Our Experiment Log: 
We decided to try out the salt crystal experiment at home.  We thought that it was really going to take a few days, but our crystal grew in a few hours. The experiment was cool, and in the end there was something we  didn't expect! We won't tell you though, you have to try it for yourself!  Engineering isn't just for guys, it's for girls too!!

 
"Crystal Cubes" 
This is another crystal experiment you may have tried in school: 

First, you boil some water, then take it off the stove.  
Pour two cups of sugar in it.  
Pour the solution into three jars of water.  
Then tie a paperclip to one end of a string and a pencil on the other end.  
Put the string and paperclip in the jar, and have the pencil sit on top of the jar.  

In a few hours, small crystals will form on the string.  

When you cool the sugar and water, it will slowly dry up. Sugar molecules are left behind. They come together and form sugar cubes.  
 


These and other experiments can be found in a book called,
"Science Fun with a Homemade Chemistry Set " by Rose Wyler (Simon and Schuster, 1987)

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