Here’s a fun chemistry project for your older children!
Epsom salts are magnesium sulphate, and are soluble in water. What you are doing is creating a solution of water and Epsom salts, and then saturating it slightly (So not all of the salt crystals dissolve) You can suspend a string in the solution, and the crystals will begin to form on it, or you can evaporate the solution from a shallow dish, leaving the crystals behind.
You will need:
To make your crystals
- Boil the water in a pot
- Add the Epsom salts, stirring until they’re dissolved
- Transfer your solution to a shallow dish, and place it in a sunny location
OR - Transfer your solution to a clear jar and suspend a piece of string in it (Use a pencil over the top of the jar)
- Leave your solution undisturbed for a few days, and as the water begins to evaporate, you’ll start to see crystals forming on the dish, and or on the string.
If you want to take the experiment to the next level, you can take one of your tiny crystals, tie it to a nylon string, and suspend it in a fresh solution.
Cover the jar with a piece of filter paper (don’t seal it)
This will cause other crystals to form around the “seed”
It may take about two weeks to see any results!
Photo by: Arenamontanus
