We love crystal experiments for any time of year. We love making seasonal versions of classic science experiments- especially ones that my kids love making, like crystals. For this St. Patrick’s Day, we decided to make salt crystal pots of gold to celebrate the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
Follow along to learn how to grow crystals with salt with kids. It’s a fun twist on a classic and my kids were pleased at how they turned out.
Keep reading to learn how to grow your own salt crystals for St. Patrick’s Day!
How to Grow Salt Crystals Fast
What is the secret to creating crystals fast? The secret is creating a super-saturated solution of salt water. A super-saturated solution is simply adding enough salt to the boiling water so that it is no longer able to dissolve.
The more saturated the solution, the faster crystals will form.
Using enough salt will produce visible crystals in under an hour!
How to Grow Salt Crystals at Home
One of my favorite parts of teaching is creating fun seasonal learning activities for my kiddos.
We particularly love doing STEM activities and science experiments for kids. Today, we’re bringing a twist on how to grow salt crystals at home by learning how to make salt crystals!
We always like giving our science experiments a seasonal twist- and this time, we’re completing St. Patrick’s Day STEM activities by making pot ‘o gold salt crystals!
If you love this activity making St. Patrick’s Day pot ‘o gold salt crystals, then you’ll love this salt crystal rainbow!
How Do Salt Crystals Grow?
Salt crystals form when a solution of water becomes over-saturated with salt. When you create a super-saturated solution, the salt crystals must go somewhere when the mixture cools and the water starts to evaporate.
The furry pipe cleaners make the perfect surface for salt crystals to cling to. Over time, the crystals accumulate into larger and larger crystals.
As the water evaporates, the salt crystals cling to one another, forming large squares of salt, just like are found in nature.
Kids will be fascinated by the ionic bonds that salt makes, creating perfect squares and rectangles every time. The reason salt crystals make such perfect square shapes are due to the type of molecular bond that salt crystals have.
Salt bonds ionically, meaning that the bonds are inflexible. The molecules bond using the same pattern over and over, which creates a stable shape that is the same every time.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Alignment
Use this experiment to complete the following NGSS standards:
- 5-PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
- 5-PS1-4: Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
- PS1A: Structure and Properties of Matter
- PS1B: Chemical Reactions
How to Grow Salt Crystals
This fun science activity shows how salt crystals form with a fun St. Patrick’s Day science twist!
What you’ll need to grow crystals at home:
If you buy using these links, I will earn a commission on the sale.
The Mason Jar Scientist: 30 Jarring STEAM-Based ProjectsBall Glass Mason Jar with Lid and Band, Regular Mouth, 12 Jars
Acerich 300 Pcs Colored Pipe Cleaners Chenille Stems for DIY Art Craft Decorations (6 mm x 12 inch)
Morton Iodized Salt, 26 oz, Pack of 4
Ticonderoga Wood-Cased Graphite Pencils, #2 HB Soft, Yellow, 96 Count (13872)
AmazonBasics Pre-sharpened Wood Cased #2 HB Pencils, 150 Pack
More St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Kids
Super Fun and Easy Crystal Science Fair Projects
St. Patrick’s Day STEAM Activities for Elementary
St. Patrick’s Day STEM Sensory Bins
Educational St. Patrick’s Day Activities
How to Grow Crystals Fast
Boil enough water to fill as many jars as you have (we did 1 jar per pot of gold).
Add enough salt so that crystals form on the surface of the water. It will look like a sheet of thin ice.
Remove the water from the heat and let the mixture cool.
While the water is cooling, form your pots ‘o gold from pipe cleaners. Use a black pipe cleaner to form the pot (we did a slightly squared circle).
Use a gold pipe cleaner to create the coins in the pot.
Attach the pots ‘o gold to the pencils with another pipe cleaner.
Pour the saltwater into the jars.
Lower the pots ‘o gold into the saltwater solution.
Wait a few hours for salt crystals to form. Leave the crystals in the solution for longer to make bigger crystals. After two hours, small salt crystals will start to form.
You can leave the pipe cleaners in the saltwater solution for 2-3 days, but if you are in a hurry, the crystals will be visible and ready to study within an hour or two.