Growing Borax Crystals Fast For Kids

Crystals are fascinating to observe, but many take a long time to grow. Want to grow borax crystals overnight? Follow this DIY borax crystals recipe to explore supersaturation and crystallization in a hands-on chemistry activity that is perfect for young scientists and rock enthusiasts.

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Grow Borax Crystals

• Field of Science: Chemistry
• Grade Level: 2nd – 6th Grade
• Concepts Explored: Solubility, supersaturation, crystallization, molecule arrangement, temperature’s effect on solubility

Borax crystals form through a process called crystallization, which happens when a borax solution becomes supersaturated. A supersaturated solution holds more dissolved material than it normally would at a given temperature. As the solution cools, the excess borax powder falls out of the solution and forms solid crystals on a surface, like pipe cleaners or an eggshell.

🔎 Try this salt crystal experiment for a preschool-friendly version of growing crystals!

Supplies:

• 8-10 pipe cleaners (assorted colors)
• 1 ¾ cup borax powder
• 5 plastic or glass jars (glass works best but plastic can be used for classrooms)
• 4 cups boiling  water
• Wooden skewers, popsicle sticks, or pencils
• Fishing line or string
• Food coloring (optional)
• Paper towels for clean up
• Measuring cup

How to Grow Crystals

Watch the Video:

Step-by-Step Instructions

Shape the Pipe Cleaners: Twist pipe cleaners into desired shapes (nests, snowflakes, hearts, flowers, etc.). Make sure they can fit inside the jars without touching the sides.

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Tie and Suspend the Pipe Cleaner: Attach a fishing line to each shape and tie the other end to a wooden skewer, popsicle stick, or pencil. Ensure the shape hangs freely inside the jar and does not touch the sides.

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Make the Supersaturated Solution: Boil 4 cups of water and stir in enough borax powder until it no longer dissolves. A small amount of undissolved borax at the bottom means the solution is fully saturated.

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Pour the Solution into Jars: Divide the hot borax solution evenly into the jars. Add food coloring if desired.

💡 You do not have to add food coloring to the cups since the pipe cleaners are colored, but it can make crystals look a little bolder.

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Submerge the Pipe Cleaner Shapes: Place each skewer across the top of the jar so that the pipe cleaner shape hangs in the water mixture without touching the sides.

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Let the Crystals Grow: Leave the setup undisturbed overnight. Crystals will begin forming in a few hours and grow significantly by the next morning.

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Remove and Dry the Crystals: Carefully lift the pipe cleaners out, place them on a paper towel, and allow them to dry completely before handling.

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Tips For How To Make Large Borax Crystals

Here are a few notes to get you started growing large borax crystals.

• You will want to set up your cups where they won’t be disturbed. Keeping the kiddos from shaking, moving, or stirring the mixture is important once you have filled the cups.

• The slow cooling of the liquid is an essential part of the process. Generally, we have found that glass works better than plastic. However, the plastic cups worked well this time.

• If your solution cools too quickly, impurities will not have a chance to fall out of the mixture, and crystals may look disorganized and irregular. Generally, crystals are quite uniform in shape.

Check on the crystals regularly and make note of any changes in size or appearance. If you notice any impurities or cloudiness in the solution, consider filtering the solution and starting again with fresh materials.

Borax Crystal Science Information

What Is a Crystal?

Crystals are solid structures with a highly organized and repeating molecular pattern. Common natural crystals include quartz, salt crystals, and snow crystals.

How Do Borax Crystals Form?

• Dissolving Borax: When borax powder is mixed into boiling water, it dissolves because heat increases the water’s ability to hold more solute.
• Saturated Solution: A saturated solution occurs when the liquid holds the maximum amount of dissolved material it can at a given temperature. If more solute is added, it will no longer dissolve and will settle at the bottom.
• Supersaturated Solution: By heating the water, more borax dissolves than it would at room temperature. When the solution cools, it becomes supersaturated, meaning it holds more dissolved material than it can normally sustain.
• Cooling Process: As the water cools, the heated water molecules slow down and move closer together, leaving less room for the dissolved borax. The excess borax begins to fall out of solution and forms crystals.
• Crystal Growth: These particles settle on the rough surface of the pipe cleaner, acting as a nucleation site for crystal formation. The molecules arrange themselves into a symmetrical shape, creating a repeating pattern.
• Borax Crystals Shape: Borax crystals have a monoclinic structure, which means they grow in slanted shapes instead of perfect cubes. Their unique shape happens because of how borax molecules arrange themselves as they form a crystal.

Growing Crystals Science Project

💡 Encourage kids to record their observations, measurements, and conclusions. Learn more about using the scientific method with kids, making observations and choosing variables.

Want to turn this experiment into a science project? Here’s how:

1. Ask a Question: What factors affect the growth of borax crystals?
2. Form a Hypothesis: Predict whether temperature, borax concentration, or stirring will change the size or shape of the crystals.
3. Test Your Variables:
   • Grow crystals at different temperatures (hot water vs. room temperature vs. cold water).
   • Use different amounts of borax per cup of water.
   • Stir some solutions while leaving others undisturbed.
4. Record Observations: Measure and compare the size and shape of the crystals after 24 hours.
5. Draw Conclusions: What conditions produced the largest, most well-formed crystals? Were your predictions correct?

Encourage kids to use a science journal to track their findings!

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Borax Crystal Facts 

• Borax is also known as sodium borate and is commonly used as a household cleaner or laundry booster. Use it to make homemade borax slime too.
• Crystals can take different shapes depending on the substance. Borax crystals form monoclinic structures, while salt crystals form cubic structures.
• The slower the cooling process, the larger and more defined the crystals will be.
• You can use a magnifying glass to observe the flat sides of your borax crystals!
• You can also grow Epsom salts crystals using a similar method.

Extension Activities

Want to turn this into a full science experiment? Try these variations:

1. Effect of Temperature

• Grow crystals at different temperatures (room temperature vs. cold water vs. boiling water) and compare results.

2. Changing the Borax Concentration

• Test different amounts of borax per cup of water and observe the effect on crystal size.

3. Using Different Seed Materials

• Grow crystals on eggshells, seashells, or fabric to see how surface texture impacts crystal growth.

4. Stirring vs. No Stirring

• Experiment with stirring the borax solution more or less before adding the pipe cleaners.

More Ways to Make Crystals

• Growing Sugar Crystals
• Salt Crystal Experiment
• Eggshell Geodes
• Edible Candy Geodes
• Crystal Seashells
• Crystal Rainbows

Bonus: DIY Crystal Ornaments!

Want to make beautiful homemade crystals to decorate? Use white pipe cleaners to create borax crystal snowflakes, crystal hearts, or crystal candy canes. Once dry, tie a piece of thin ribbon to hang them!

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