Activity for ages 3 and up.
This easy-peasy, low cost science experiment uses borax to grow crystal names. Whether your child is 3 or 103, they’re sure to get excited about seeing their name shimmer and sparkle in the sunlight. Crystal names are one of our favorite kids’ science experiments yet.
P.S. Looking for some easy ways to add super cool, hands-on science to your classroom or home? Hop over and grab our super cool science kit!
Even though my 5 year old can easily write her name, she never tires of seeing it, especially when it sparkles and glistens. We decided to use the same technique used to make crystal snowflakes using borax, a common household laundry product, to make crystal names. The results were gorgeous and soon everyone in the family wanted their names in crystal too.
Getting Ready
To prep for this science activity, I gathered a few supplies:
- Pipe cleaners
- Fishing line {twine or yarn will work too}
- Pencils or wooden skewers
- Scissors
- Glasses or plastic container {one for each color}
- A container large enough to hold your name {if doing your name as a single piece written in cursive}
- Borax
- Food Coloring {optional, if you want colored letters you can dye the borax solution or use colored pipe cleaners}
- Liquid measuring cup
- Tablespoon
- Heat Safe Mixing Bowl
Shaping the Names
Once I gathered all my supplies I called my daughter, A, over and explained that we were going to make the letters of her name and then grow crystals on them. I had her take white pipe cleaners and use them to form the letters of her name. I showed her the plastic container we were going to use to suspend the pipe cleaner letter in and explained that the letter had to fit in the container without touching any sides.
I wanted A to work on noticing what lines and curves made up each individual letter so I intentionally had her form the letters one by one. Older children could connect a few pipe cleaners to form their name in cursive, making this activity even easier.
Once formed we used fishing line to suspend each letter a few inches from wooden skewers.
Making the Solution
While A finished making her letters I began heating a large pot of water. I knew my 5 year old would want to do the measuring and mixing so I made sure the water was as hot as possible to help dissolve the borax quickly, without being hot enough to scald her. A decided she wanted to make each letter a different color so I set out 5 quart sized plastic containers and had A measure out 3 tablespoons of borax per cup of hot water {we used 9 tablespoons per container}. 
Once all the borax was measured I poured 3 cups of almost boiling water into each of the 5 containers. A, armed with a long wooden spoon, mixed each container until the borax dissolved. Next, she added several drops of food coloring to every container and carefully lowered each letter into the color of choice.
Waiting for the Crystals
Next came the hardest part, waiting! I put the containers on a shelf and let them sit overnight where they wouldn’t be disturbed by curious hands. After a couple hours, we saw some changes – mostly crystals forming on the sides of the container and also settling onto the bottom. It was difficult to see what was happening to the pipe cleaners through the dark food color solution.
A and her little brother Q couldn’t wait to see how each of their names turned out and spent nearly an hour touching, arranging, and holding their letters up to the windows to see the crystals sparkle.
Once they were finished exploring their glistening letters, I carefully taped each child’s name up in a sunny window so they could be admired in all their sparkling glory.
The Science Behind It
When borax is dissolved in water a suspension is created. A suspension is a mixture that has solid particles {the borax} that are large enough for sedimentation {settling out}. As the borax begins to settle, it starts to crystalize on all the surfaces it comes in contact with – including the pipe cleaner letters. As the borax continues to settle out, it builds crystals on top of other borax crystals creating a thick layer.
P.S.
Grab our Super Cool Science Kit including easy prep, kid-pleasing experiments and awesome follow up observation sheets for young scientists.
Noirin Lynch
Latest posts by Noirin Lynch (see all)
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About Noirin Lynch
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I’d like to do this in my classroom–how many letters could work in one container of borax/water? I’d like to do many at once instead of one container per letter. Ideas?
Hi Mary,
It will really depend on the size of your jar. You don’t want the letters to clump together – as that’s how the crystals will form. I would experiment with the jars you plan to use, but I’d probably say no more than 2-3 letters at a time.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
Do you have to use only white pipe cleaners?
Hi Amy,
No, you don’t have to use only white pipe cleaners. The white just makes the crystals stand out a little more. A colored pipe cleaner might just now look as “clean” in the final product. Other than that, any pipe cleaners will do!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
Definitely going to try this with my after school group! Do you need to use glass containers specifically, or will any clear container work (plastic, acrylic, etc.)
Hi Anna,
So glad you’re going to try it! You can use glass or plastic containers. We’ve just found the glass to be a little more sturdy, but either would work!
Hope your kids absolutely love it!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
Hi, what could I use in the UK instead of borax please?
Hi Joelle,
I’m so sorry, but I don’t know of a substitute that would give you the same results.
Noirin, who actually wrote this post, might have some ideas, but I don’t have substitute. So sorry about that.
If you find one, we’d love to hear about it!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
About how long did you have to wait in order to remove the crystal letters. I’m wanting to do this for a parent/teacher connection night that we are doing that is STEM-inspired, but need a timeframe to tell parents to wait…or to know if it’s even a possibility to do in the timeframe we have!
Hi Theresa,
Thanks for reaching out!
You need to leave the crystal letters overnight or longer. You’ll start to see some changes after a few hours, but probably not enough to do in a parent-teacher connection night. You could build the names and send them home in the solution to sit overnight if you think that would work. Hope you have a lovely STEM-inspired connection night!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
About how long did it take for the crystals to form? I started these with my afterschool kids about 4 days ago, and so far, we’re only seeing a few tiny crystals forming on the sides of the glass. I have a feeling something didn’t work right with our batch.
Hi Anna,
Thanks for reaching out.
Yes, you should really be able to see the crystal formation after about 24 hours. If it’s already been 4 days and you’re not seeing many crystals, the solution may have been off 🙁
Let me know if I can be of any further help.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
Thanks- we tried again with hotter water and double the borax powder, and they worked SO much better! And the process made for a great trial-and-error experience for the kids to learn from.
That’s wonderful, Anna!
Thank you for reporting back!
And you’re right, what a great learning experience for your kids!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador