KS3 Science Crystal Snowflakes

Equipment You will need to collect the following: Pipe cleaners Scissors Beaker Pencil Piece of cotton or string Borax solution (prepared by your teacher)

Method Cut a pipe cleaner into 3 equal parts and twist the centres together to make the basic snowflake shape. Tie a piece of string to one arm of the snow flake and a pencil to the other end of the string Make sure the snowflake will fit into a beaker. If necessary trim the snowflake Fill the beaker with prepared borax solution Place the snowflake in the beaker so that it is completely covered, use the pencil end to balance the snowflake. Leave the beaker and snowflake overnight undisturbed and the crystals should start to grow.

To Make Different Snowflakes Add pieces of cotton to make a more interesting shape. Use coloured pipe cleaners, so the white crystals have colour beneath them. Add food colouring to the Borax solution.

How Does This Work? Can you suggest how the crystals are formed? Hint: saturated solutions, evaporation and crystallization.

The pipe cleaners are placed in a saturated solution Answer The pipe cleaners are placed in a saturated solution They absorb the solution and the water slowly starts to evaporate leaving the crystals behind.

Can you think of any other saturated solutions this would work with? Conclusion Can you think of any other saturated solutions this would work with? Salt solution Sugar solution