Crystalized Names

Materials

• Pipe cleaners

• Fishing line, twine or yarn

• Pencils or wooden skewers

• Scissors

• Glasses or plastic container (one for each color)

• A container large enough to hold your name (if doing your name as a single piece written in cursive)

• Borax

• Food Coloring (optional)

Directions

1. Use white pipe cleaners to form the letters of your name

2. Use fishing line to suspend each letter a few inches from wooden skewers

3. Heat 1 cup of boiling water. Add  3 tbsps borax. Stir. Pour into container.

4. Add food coloring if using

5. Carefully lower your letters into the container (using the stick)

6. Let container sit overnight. Carefully remove

adapted from Play Dough Plato

What’s Happening?
When borax is dissolved in water, a suspension is created. A suspension is a mixture that has solid particles {the borax} that are large enough for sedimentation (settling out). As the borax begins to settle, it starts to crystalize on all the surfaces it comes in contact with – including the pipe cleaner letters. As the borax continues to settle out, it builds crystals on top of other borax crystals creating a thick layer.