Crystal Garden

I've been slowly trying to incorporate some science into Bub's play and there have been so many cool ideas online. Since we had a pack of Epsom salts at home (these also make great plant fertilisers), we decided to try our hand at growing a crystal garden.

You'll need:
1/2 cup Epsom salts (can be easily found at pharmacies)
1/2 cup hot water
Drop of food colouring (optional)

Method:
1. Dissolve the ingredients together.
2. Pour into a bowl or jar
3. Keep in the coldest part of the fridge for a few hours.

Bubs and I found that the jars that were kept right at the back of the fridge grew crystal more quickly than the ones that were in front. We also kept it overnight and got a sparkly crystal garden the next day.

Bubs examined them carefully and used his finger to poke them. Ouch! They weren't sharp but just a little prickly.

We admired how pretty the crystals looked as they glinted under the afternoon sun and talked a little about the science (nucleation and crystal growth) behind them. We also discussed about what other crystals we could find in the kitchen (sugar, salt)

As for the crystals? They ended up in the shower with Bub's :) He had fun swirling water into them and watching them dissolve again.