Our Lady of Snows ~ Crystal Snowflakes

Aug 8, 2012
2 min read

My kids and I have been having fun this week making “snow” to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Snows Click here to see my post about Our Lady of Snows. This project is fun, simple, educational, and pretty!!!!Can’t get much better than that!

My older kids and I have made these crystal snowflakes a number of times, but I thought it was time to share this awesome science/craft project with my younger kids!

This project is also nice when teaching kids the science behind dissolving, crystallization, and molecules.

You will need:

2 white pipe cleaners (for each snowflake)
string
a pencil, ruler, or stick
a jar or tall container
Borax (20 mule team) (3 tablespoons for each cup of water)
Boiling water (enough to fill the jar / container)
a towel

Create a snowflake shape with the two pipe cleaners:

Tie a string to the top of each

Use the pencil/ruler/stick to hang the snowflake in the jar/container. Be sure the snowflakes don’t touch the bottom or sides of the jar. If you have more than one in the jar, be sure they do not touch each other. Check that they will be totally covered by the borax/water mixture.

Now remove the snowflake and stick which holds it. Add one cup of boiling water to the jar at a time to see how many cups it takes to fill the jar. Add 3 tablespoons of borax for each cup of water. Stir until the borax is dissolved. (Remind the kids that eating Borax will make them sick.)

Place the snowflakes back into the jar. (My kids added a few rocks to the bottom of the jar to collect the crystals that form on the jar’s bottom.)

Allow them to sit for 12 to 24 hours. (The faster it cools the better.) As the water cools the Borax will crystallize on the snowflakes and the bottom of the jar. Then remove all the snowflakes, rocks, and crystals. Lay them out on a towel to dry.