Science - Honey Crystals
You will need:
- Pictures of different kinds of crystals
- A magnifying glass
- Paper plates
- Table salt
- Epsom salt
- Granulated sugar
- Honey jar that has been left open until crystals form
- Paper
- Crayons
What to do:
- Talk to children about crystals. Show them pictures of various kinds of crystals, including snow and ice crystals, honey crystals, and stalagmites and stalactites that form in caves.
- Pour sugar and salts onto different plates.
- Ask children to inspect the crystals with their magnifying glass.
- Ask the children to draw pictures of what they see and color them.
Open-ended Questions:
- How are the crystals similar?
- How are the crystals different?
- What else do you think is made up of crystals?
Variations/Extensions:
- Have the class make their own crystals in baby food jars.
- Boil water and dissolve any ONE of the following until no more will absorb: salt, Epsom salt, sugar, borax, alum (aluminum potassium sulfate), baking soda, or copper sulfate.
- Pour liquid into each jar until each is more than half full. Tie a string to the center of a pencil or a Popsicle stick and hang the string into the jar.
- Wait for crystals to form, allowing one week.
- Compare the crystals formed by each of the different substances.
- Make paper snowflakes to imitate the ones observed.
Related Resources:
- Crystals and Crystal Growing by Alan Holden and Phyllis Morrison.
- Juma and the Honey-Guide: An African Story by Robin Bernard.
Suggested Benchmarks:
- Use of senses to explore and observe materials in natural phenomena.
- Collecting, describing, and recording information.