Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Growing crystals with alum
• Method 2 of 3: Make crystal ornaments
• Method 3 of 3: Make crystals of candy sugar
• Tips
• Necessities
• Alum crystals
• Crystal ornaments
• Crystal candy sugar

Crystals are composed of atoms, molecules or ions arranged in patterns with recognizable geometric structures. When you mix water with a crystal raw material, such as alum, sugar or salt, you can see crystals grow in the space of hours. Learn how to grow your own perfect crystal, create crystal ornaments and make colorful crystal sugar candy.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Growing crystals with alum

1. Fill a jar halfway with warm water. Make sure the jar is clean, as you don't want other substances to mix with your crystals. It is best to use a clear jar so that you can follow the process by which the crystals form.
2. Stir some alum into the water. Pour a few tablespoons of alum into the pot and use a spoon to stir the mixture well until the alum dissolves. Pour in more alum and keep stirring. Keep doing this until the alum no longer dissolves in the water. Let the mixture sit for a few hours. As the water begins to evaporate, crystals will form at the bottom of the pot.
   • Alum is a mineral that is used to make cucumbers and other vegetables, and can be found in the spice aisle of your supermarket, or at the organic store or toko.
   • You will see that you have reached the point where no more alum is absorbed when it starts to clump together at the bottom of the pot.
3. Separate a seed crystal. Choose the largest, most beautiful newly formed crystal to separate. Then pour the liquid from the jar into a clean jar (try not to pour over the undissolved alum) and use tweezers to peel off the crystal at the bottom.
   • If the crystals are still small, wait a few hours before taking a seed crystal aside.
   • If you prefer to grow the crystals in the first pot, let it sit for a week or so. By then the bottom and sides should be covered with crystals.
4. Tie a thread around the crystal and dip it in the second jar. Use a thin nylon thread or piece of dental floss. Secure it tightly around the crystal and then secure the other end around a pencil. Rest the pencil on the rim of the second jar and let the crystal sit in the solution.
5. Wait about a week to watch the crystal grow. When the crystal has grown to the size and shape you want, remove it from the water. Untie the rope and enjoy your homemade crystal.

Method 2 of 3: Make crystal ornaments

1. Make a solution with water and alum. Fill a pot half full with water and dissolve several spoons of alum in it. Continue to add alum until it no longer dissolves.
   • You can also use salt or borax in place of alum.
   • If you want to make ornaments in different colors, divide the solution between a few pots.
2. Stir food coloring into the jar. Add a few drops of red, green, yellow or any other color to your taste to the solution in the jar. If you have filled several pots with the solution, you can add a different color of drops to each pot.
   • Mix different colors of food coloring to make a unique color. For example, you can mix four drops of yellow with one drop of blue to create a light shade of green. Or mix red and blue to make purple.
   • If you want to make festive ornaments for the holidays, you can add colors to the solutions to match your other decorations.
3. Bend pipe cleaners in the form of ornaments. Make shapes like stars, trees, pumpkins, snowflakes, or any other shape you would like to make. Make the shapes simple and clearly recognizable, keeping in mind that the pipe cleaners will be covered with crystals so that the lines of the shapes become very thick.
4. Hang the pipe cleaners over the rim of the pot. Dip the shaped side of the pipe cleaners into the jar so that the mold is submerged in the center of the jar, without touching the sides or bottom. Let the other side hang over the edge of the pot with a hook, bending the pipe cleaner slightly so that it is firmly in place.
   • If you made pots with multiple colors of paint, you can now choose colors that match the shapes you created. For example, if you made a tree out of pipe cleaners, you can submerge it in the pot of green solution.
   • If you put more than one pipe cleaner in the same pot, don't let them touch each other.
5. Wait for the crystals to form. Leave the pipe cleaners in the jar or pots for a week or so, until you are satisfied with the size of the crystals. When you're happy with how they look, get your new crystal ornaments out of the jars. Pat them dry with paper towels. The ornaments are now ready to be hung.

Method 3 of 3: Make crystals of candy sugar

1. Make a solution of water and sugar. To make sugar candy, use sugar as the basis for your crystals. Fill a jar half full with warm water and stir in as much sugar as you can until it no longer dissolves.
   • The most common type of sugar to use is white granulated sugar, but you can also experiment with brown sugar, raw sugar, and other types of sugar.
   • Do not use artificial sweeteners in place of sugar.
2. Add color and flavor. Make your sugar candy more appealing by adding a few drops of food coloring and natural flavorings to the solution. Try these color and flavor combinations or create your own:
   • Red food coloring with cinnamon flavoring.
   • Yellow food coloring with lemon flavoring.
   • Green food coloring with spearmint flavoring.
   • Blue food coloring with raspberry flavoring.
3. Dip wooden eating socks in the solution. Place a few wooden chopsticks in the pot and lean the ends against the rim. If you don't have chopsticks, you can also use wooden skewers or lollipop sticks. Cover the jar with plastic wrap. Since you are working with sugar, the solution can attract beetles as the crystals form. Cover the pots with plastic wrap to prevent pests from entering.
4. Wait for the crystals to form. After one or two weeks, the sticks will be covered with beautiful crystals. Remove them from the jars and let them dry. Enjoy them and share them with your friends.

Tips

• You can also use rock salt and Epsom salt.
• When you boil the water, they will enlarge.

Necessities

Alum crystals

• Two glass jars
• Water
• Alum (salt or borax will also work)
• String
• Tweezers

Crystal ornaments

• Glass jars
• Water
• Alum, borax or salt
• Pipe cleaners
• Food coloring

Crystal candy sugar

• Glass jar
• Water
• Food coloring
• Flavors
• Chopsticks, lollipop sticks or wooden skewers
• Plastic foil