If you are looking for a fun at home science project to do for yourself or your kids then growing sugar crystals might just be the thing for you. Growing sugar crystals is a fun and easy way to introduce you kids to science. You do not need to go out and purchase one of the expensive crystal growing kits as you should have the raw materials you need right in your home.
How To Begin Growing Sugar Crystals At Home
The first thing you need in order to start growing sugar crystals is a seed for the crystal to grow on. There are basically two methods to doing this each of which you should be familiar with.
The first is the string method. This method involves suspending a string in a completely saturated water and sugar mixture. In order to saturate the water, which you will need for either method, take a pan and heat the water to just about boiling on the stove. Then slowly begin adding in your sugar. Plain white sugar will work the best for this. Stir in the sugar and make sure it is completely dissolved. Keep doing this until the sugar will not dissolve. Once you have reached this point the liquid is saturated.
Next take a pencil and drop it across the top of the jar. Tie a piece of wool or other coarse string to the pencil and dangle it in the water. Take the jar, pencil, and string and place it in an easily accessible and open air area. Over the next couple of days you should begin to see small crystals form on the string. As the weeks go by the sugar should begin to attach itself to these crystals. The important thing is to keep the water full and keep the solution completely saturated. If the solution is not saturated, the crystals that have been formed will actually work in reverse, dissolving rather than forming.
The next method of getting seeds for your crystals to form on is the evaporation method. After you have created your saturated solution take a little bit of the solution and place it on a plate. Wait a couple of days for the solution to evaporate. As it evaporates there should be tiny little crystals left behind. These will be the seeds you use for growing sugar crystals. Place these in the bottom of a glass jar and fill the jar very carefully with the saturated solution. If you do it right, these seeds should begin growing sugar crystals in no time.
There you have it, two ways to get started growing sugar crystals quickly and easily.
