DIY Crystal Ornaments

Are you wanting to try a fun activity with your little ones to get them into the spirit of the holiday?  Try making these great crystal ornaments.  Your little ones get the opportunity to show off their creative side, you get a wonderful keepsake, and you can explain the process of crystallization and saturated solutions to them (if you are feeling inspired)-to turn this into a fun science experiment!!

What you will need:
6 tablespoons Borax detergent
2 c hot water
pipe cleaner
large cup or mason jar
string
pencil or popsicle stick

Directions:

***Let the ornament sit in the solution for at least 24 hours to allow the crystals to form.***

Science behind this activity:

When adding 6 tablespoons of Borax to water, you are creating a supersaturated solution.  As some of the Borax crystals start to settle out of the water, they are attracted to the chenille on the pipe cleaner and crytstallize forming little crystals all over your ornament.  These are beautiful little ionic structures being formed.