In the Crystal Ornaments Holiday Chemistry Laboratory Kit, students make a saturated solution, bend a chenille wire, and suspend the wire in the solution. The next day students unveil beautiful crystal-covered creations in the solutions!
Add some sparkle to your next holiday celebration by making crystal ornaments. Students make a saturated solution of sodium borate, bend a chenille wire into the desired shape and suspend the wire in the solution. The next day students remove a beautiful crystal-covered ornament from the solution! Art and science combine as students learn about solutions and solubility and examine their ornaments under magnification to determine the crystal shape. Suitable for any holiday or seasonal event, this fun activity easily fits into the curriculum whenever these concepts are presented. Includes valuable Teacher Notes, detailed background information, a reproducible student worksheet, and all necessary materials.
Complete for 30 students working individually. Additional chenille wires and sodium borate are available separately.
Correlation to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
Science & Engineering Practices
Constructing explanations and designing solutions Planning and carrying out investigations
Disciplinary Core Ideas
MS-ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems HS-PS1.B: Chemical Reactions
Crosscutting Concepts
Patterns Cause and effect Energy and matter Structure and function
Performance Expectations
HS-PS1-1: Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.