If you’ve ever grown crystals, you have learned that bigger is always better. Everyone wants to make the biggest crystals. This article reveals the secrets to growing bigger crystals with or without the help of a crystal growing science kit.
A great place to start crystal growing is to purchase a science kit at any toy store. A good science kit will provide guidance and materials to get started. However, kids can achieve amazing crystal growing results even without a science kit. Basic crystals can be grown with simple table salt and hot water. Boil the water, and stir as much salt into the hot water as possible until no more salt will dissolve. Soak a small piece of cardboard in the solution until the cardboard is totally saturated, then set the cardboard in a warm and sunny place to dry. As it dries, tiny salt crystals will become visible.
To grow a larger crystal, you have to begin with a small “seed” crystal. After you have stirred salt into boiling water, you can pour a bit of the solution into a saucer or petri dish, then place it in a warm, sunny place to allow the solution to evaporate and crystals to form. Once the crystals have formed, select the best crystal and tie it onto a nylon fishing line. You may need to scrape small grooves into your crystal to get it to stay on the nylon.
Once again, you will need to create a supersaturated salt solution. Pour the solution into a clean container and allow the solution to cool. Suspend your seed crystal in the solution with a pencil or knife. The seed crystal should not touch the bottom or sides of the container. Finally, set aside the solution in an area where it can sit undisturbed. Allowing the crystal to grow slowly will increase your odds of growing a perfect crystal. This means you should find a cooler, shaded place where the crystal will not be subject to vibrations or other outside forces.
A crystal is a solid material consisting of atoms, molecules, and ions arranged in an orderly repeating pattern. The process of crystal growing, or crystallization, occurs when there are specific changes in the temperature and solubility of liquids and solids. Sometimes, crystallization is used as a scientific technique to chemically separate liquids from solid. However, crystal growing can also be used as a children’s educational technique.
Before a child attempts crystal growing on their own, it is helpful to gain a basic understanding of how crystals form. Crystallization requires a liquid (such as water), called a solvent, usually with another material (such as sugar or salt), called a solute, dissolved in that liquid. It begins with a process called nucleation, in which the solute molecules gather into clusters. Unless the temperature is at a specific level (which varies depending on the type of crystal being formed) and the clusters reach a certain size, the solute clusters will be unstable and will dissolve into the solution again. If the cluster reaches a certain size at a certain temperature, it will form the “nuclei” or core of a crystal. This allows the crystal growth phase to begin. Additional molecules of solute will join to the cluster, eventually forming a crystal that is visible to the naked eye.
Crystals are a fascinating solid, and crystal growing is an equally fascinating exploration of the science behind crystals. While it is helpful to have a good science kit to pull it all together for you, it is also possible to build large crystals even without one. Crystal growth can inspire children to learn further about the chemical or physiological sciences. They can discover crystals throughout the world around them, in everything from snowflakes to gemstones.
Click here to download our free kids science kit guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.
Curious kids love to explore and investigate. From an early age, a hand-held magnifying glass offers a new perspective to young scientists and explorers. Common objects are fascinating when seen in detail, and it helps kids understand the world around them.
A student microscope allows kids to take their explorations and their understanding to a new level. Having a basic microscope at home supports home learners, budding scientists, and in-depth science projects. It is possible to buy microscopes that are robust enough for daily use yet have powerful magnification. Many scientific supply companies and educational stores sell a range of prepared slides as well.
Certain key features are important when you buy microscopes. This is especially true with a student microscope, when ease of use is important for avoiding frustration. There are two levels of student microscope power, based on the level of magnification.
1. Low power microscopes are useful for looking at larger objects like rocks, flowers, coins, and insects. Typical magnifications range from 10X up to 80X. There are usually two eyepieces to provide a three-dimensional view. The most common useful magnifications are 20-30X.
2. If you opt to buy microscopes with high power, the range might go up to 1000X magnification, making it possible to see single-cell organisms in pond water, hairs, and cells. A less-expensive student microscope will have one eyepiece, which can be easier for younger kids to use. However, binocular versions, with two eyepieces, offer superior viewing for older kids.
Other features to consider include the following:
1. Power source: Many models are cordless and rechargeable, making them easier to take out on field trips.
2. Construction: Make sure the student microscope has a metal frame, optical glass lenses, and built-in light source. Opting for a cheaper version, usually plastic, will be a waste of money due to poorer resolution and a flimsier frame. Lenses marked DIN meet industry standards, so they will be high quality and fully replaceable. Look for lenses that are achromatic, meaning they have built-in color correction and less distortion. These features give more accurate viewing. A wide-field eyepiece is easier for children to use.
3. Light source: Some light bulbs produce heat, limiting a microscope’s use with live specimens. Generally, fluorescent and LED bulbs are cooler, while tungsten and halogen heat up more. Before you buy microscopes, make sure they offer an easy way to reorder more light bulbs, as this part will need more replacing.
4. Controls: Depending on a child’s age, student microscopes have user-friendly features. More robust and simpler models work for younger kids, while older kids appreciate more choices in magnification and control knobs. Make sure the microscope has both coarse and fine focus options. Some models have a mechanical stage so that slides can be moved smoothly for positioning under the lens.
Parents should think about their children’s interests before they buy microscopes. Different microscopes and magnifications suit different subjects. An insect enthusiast or coin collector only requires 10-20X magnification and a top-mounted light, while a junior microbiologist needs 400-1000X magnification and a bottom-mounted light source.
Click here to download our free student microscope guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.
Growing crystals is a fun, hands-on way to study chemistry and look at basic principles of geology and mineralogy. While some simple crystals can be made at home without special assistance, a kids science kit can provide a valuable starting point for getting larger and purer crystals. Many students grow crystals as part of a science fair project, examining different factors and conditions.
Every time you grow crystals, a chemical reaction takes place. Two or more chemicals are combined to create a new product. Typically, these initial chemicals are dissolved in a solvent. Once they combine to form a new substance, the saturated solution is allowed to cool. Crystals form slowly as the temperature drops. As individual particles touch, they join to form a crystal and fall out of solution. The solid product settles to the bottom – a process known as precipitation. This chemical reaction can be performed at home, but it mimics the same conditions that take place whenever crystals form – including during geological formation.
A crystal is made up of repeating molecules held in a solid structure known as a lattice. Even common household crystals, such as sugar and salt, form by precipitating out of a chemical solution. Under optimal cooling conditions, the resulting crystals have increased size and clarity. Another important factor is the purity of the solution, as any unwanted impurities will affect crystal formation. For this reason, students wishing to grow crystals for a science fair or other project may prefer to start with a science kit and the provided chemicals.
Providing an initial seed crystal helps grow crystals larger. One simple method involves suspending a string into the solution and letting small crystals form. Another option is pouring a small amount of solution onto a plate and letting it evaporate to leave crystals. These small crystals are the seed crystals. Next, suspend a seed crystal on a piece of fine nylon string or dental floss. Dangle it into a clean container of saturated solution and allow the crystal to grow. If additional crystals form inside a container, transfer the seed crystal and solution into a new container. Otherwise there will be several smaller crystals rather than a single large one.
It takes time to grow crystals, since the solution must evaporate. For some solutions, stirring or heating can speed the process. If a crystal appears to be shrinking, more liquid should be added to the solution. Water is the most common liquid, but other solvents are possible. Experimental manipulations include changing the rate of evaporation, changing the rate of cooling, adding impurities, or using different solvents. Students can test the effects of humidity, vibration, container type, string type, and light.
A science kit provides any necessary chemical reagents which are required to grow crystals. Some science kits include chemicals to make multiple types of crystals, so that kids can compare crystal structures and types. See if the molecular structure helps predict the final crystal shape. Keep formed crystals in dry closed containers to prevent dissolution or dust accumulation.
Click here to download our free science kit guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.
How To Make a Hypothesis for a Chemistry Set Science Kit Experiment
So you have a beautiful brand new science kit, such as a chemistry set, and you want to set up a truly scientific experiment, something really professional, something tightly organized and keenly observed. Sounds like a great idea so far! So where do you begin?
The first step, perhaps the most important step, is a well-thought-out hypothesis. This article provides instructions for how to make a great hypothesis.
A hypothesis is just a question and what you think the answer is. It’s been called an “educated guess.” To write a good one, keep two principles in mind: your hypothesis should be precise and it should be simple. It’s usually written as an “If…then…” statement.
Contrary to what you may believe, most science kit experiments are carried out with a pretty good idea of what will happen. The goal of the experiment is to confirm that idea. And the name of that idea is the hypothesis.
So, if you look at your chemistry set or science kit sitting there with its brand-new bottles and think to yourself, “I’ll bet if I combine the ammonium nitrate with the water it will get colder, that’s what happens in those cold packs,” well, you’ve got a basic hypothesis right there!
If you further start thinking and wondering, “I wonder what would happen if I added a whole bunch of ammonium nitrate to water. Would it get colder faster? Would it drop to an even lower temperature? How do they measure the right amounts to put in those cold pack things?” then you are really thinking like a scientist!
You can expand your hypothesis to read something like the following, “This experiment will measure temperature effects across time from varying amounts of ammonium nitrate dissolved in water. Hypothesis: If a greater amount of ammonium nitrate is added to water, the temperature of the solution will drop faster, and the greater the amount of ammonium nitrate added to water, the lower the end temperature will be before stabilizing.”
You will notice that the hypothesis is very precise, it states exactly and with no fuzziness just what the experimenter will be measuring and what he expects the results to be. A poor hypothesis would be the following, “Hypothesis: Adding ammonium nitrate will make the water colder.” It is not at all precise. Colder than what? It’s not simply water after you add ammonium nitrate is it? It’s a solution. What do you mean by “colder”? How are you measuring this? The above hypothesis answers all these questions with exactness.
You will also notice that the original hypothesis is very simple. It uses as few words as possible. A poor hypothesis would be the following, “When I add greater amounts of ammonium nitrate from the chemistry set to the water to make a solution like in a cold-pack from the store, then measure the temperature as described, I expect to see the numbers go down quicker than they would with a small amount of ammonium nitrate. I also think there will be a point that the temperature stops dropping and levels off, but I think that point will be lower for larger amounts of ammonium nitrate.” The original hypothesis keeps things very simple.
A good hypothesis guides your experiment. Every observation is taken with an eye to disproving that hypothesis. Yes, you heard right DISproving the hypothesis. A good scientist knows that the best way to prove the hypothesis is right is by trying to prove it is wrong.
A good scientist is very, very careful and critical at each stage of the experiment, recording exactly what happens and noticing every detail that could potentially be impacting the results and disproving the hypothesis. A good scientist carefully repeats trials and reanalyzes data looking vigilantly for flaws. A good scientist uses all of the materials available in the science kit to test the hypothesis. In the end, if the results still match his hypothesis, then and only then can he begin to say it might be true. A good scientist still wants to see that this success is repeatable, so he may run the whole experiment again at another date, or ask a fellow scientist to do so.
If the results do not support the hypothesis, then the scientist has really learned something! Is it time to get a new chemistry set because this one doesn’t give you the results you were looking for? No, that is not the right conclusion. This is where the most interesting part of science comes in, follow-up investigative experiments. The hypothesis is just your best guess, so you don’t really know whether or not it is true. This is where a science kit begins to have all the thrill of a detective novel as you the scientist carefully watch for clues, racks your brain for alternative explanations and likely culprits, or devise plans to follow up a hunch. In which case, you get to write another hypothesis!
Click here to download our free science kit guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.
