Making Paper and Crystal Snowflake

Paper and Crystal Snowflake

Use common house hold items to grow crystals for a sparkly snowflake ornament.First,make a super-saturated solution .A solution is a liquid(solvent) with a solid (solute)mixed into it.Our solution is super-saturated because no more of the solid (solute)can be mixed it in;it's reached saturation.Crystals form as a result.

What You Need

Filter paper (or coffee filters)
Sodium tetraborate(Borax)
Water 
600 ml beaker (or other glass container)
Scissors
Petri dishes (or pate)
Fishing line(or string)
                                   

What You Do

1.Make supersaturated solution of Borax and water by having an adult help you use the microwave to water to heat about 200 ml of water until boiling.Use caution when removing the glass from the microwave  because  it will be hot!Mix in teaspoons of Borax until no more will dissolve.Allow the solution to cool.If you are using a petri dish,use it as a template to cut your filter paper(or coffee paper)down to size so it will fit inside.Then fold the paper in half 2-3 times and snip the edges thinking about where the cuts will appear when you unfold it.You may want to practice on scratch paper first and figure out where to cut to come up with the best snowflake design.

2.Unfold your snowflake and place it in the petri dish (or on the pate)and carefully pour the supersaturated solution over the snowflake,making  sure it's completely immersed.

3.Let the snowflake sit in the solution for an hour or longer until it's  covered in crystals.Pour off the solution and use a butter knife to carefully remove the snowflake .Pace it on paper towels to dry.You may need to use a toothpick to knock crystals out of the snowflake's holes.

4.Once it's dry,feed fishing ine or string through the snowflake and hang your ornaments on your tree.Or if it's a gift,wrap it up for Christmas!