Hi Erin!

Depending on the age of the child and the name you are shaping with the pipe cleaners, it could take 15-40 minutes to complete the project. It’s then best to let the names sit overnight to let the crystals develop. I hope you try it!

Warmly,
Sarah // Playdough to Plato Team

me too no problem

Anything activity with making crystals with my name or any interesting ideas I can do with my kids to create interest in sfience

Thank you so much for sharing, Melissa!
Love the tips you shared!
We don’t have the option of sharing photos in the comments, but we’d love it if you shared a photo on Facebook or Instagram and tagged us!
Thanks again!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Thank you for the suggestion, Fran.
We’d love to hear how it works for you!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Hi Amy,
We’ve never tried it with premixed borax, so I’m not sure if it would work.
I’d suggest trying it on a small scale to see if it works before using it for an entire project.
We’d love to hear how it turns out!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Suggest cutting quart milk cartons open, and using twigs or similar to tie thread to and suspend over the carton.

Hi Alexis,
You may want to look at canning jars.
The lids could be put on top so the jars could be stacked (by an adult of course) and placed out of the way.
Hope that helps!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Thanks for the tip, Aaron!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Sugar or salt will also crystalize, but they may take longer

Hi Bel,
Sorry, but you need Borax for the experiment to work well.
I don’t know of a comparable substitute.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

So glad you enjoyed them, Avery!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Hi Andrea,
We just used a good amount of regular food coloring. However, in some cases we also used colored pipe cleaners, which made the colors appear darker as well.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

She did use 9 tablespoons of Borax.

Hi Santos,
We recommend allowing the names to sit overnight.
You might see some slight changes after a few hours, but for the best results, allow it to sit for at least 12 hours.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

After how many hours do I take it out

Hi Terri,
I’ve had it sit overnight, but I’ve never tried it two days later.
You should be okay, but I’d love to hear your results.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

You are very welcome!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Hi,
I’m sorry about that.
We used 3 Tablespoons of Borax per cup of water. So if your container held 3 cups of water, you would need 9 tablespoons of Borax.
Hope that helps.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Hi Jennifer!
That sounds like a great way to accommodate a lot of names.
You may want to experiment ahead of time in order to be sure you have the solution ratio correct.
We’d love to hear how it goes!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

How about a used aquarium? I’m planning to do this in my first grade classroom at the beginning of the year when we read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. I think 3 small used aquariums (hello, parents?) would provide three colors to choose from. I hope that gives you an idea that might work.
~Jen

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

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.

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

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

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

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 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

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

Have so much fun, Silvia!
Let us know how it goes.
Warmly,
Kimberleigh

Hello Jessica,
Great questions!
As long as they don’t get wet, they will last a long time. We have had many over the years that have lasted for months.
If you choose to dye solution, just be aware that the sun will fade the colors, but using colored pipe cleaners will help the color stay intact.
I hope this helps!
Enjoy!
Kimberleigh

Thank you for the inspiring craft!

Hello Sage!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We love this crystal name activity and I hope your kids love it as well!
If I can help you find anything, please let me know.
Warmly,
Kimberleigh

Hello Midori,
Great question. The crystallization does start within a few hours but it will take over night and into the next day for the full crystal to form, it can vary slightly from experiment to experiment.
Hope this helps!
Kimberleigh

Hello Samira,
Here is the simple science of the crystals: 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.
Hope this helps!

Thank you!!

Hi Marcia,

Borax is a chemical called sodium tetraborate. It isn’t good for people to inhale in it’s powdered form, so I either do the pouring or have my kiddos keep the borax low in the bowl when pouring it out. Once the borax is dissolved and crystallized it doesn’t pose a hazard. It hasn’t been shown to be a skin irritant but has caused lung irritation in its powdered form. I usually let my kiddos explore the crystals for a day or so, washing hands after as a precaution, then hang them to display. Hope this helps!

Hi Joanne,

In the photos above the cursive Mia was made with a blue pipe cleaner and the name Quinn was made with food coloring. The pipe cleaner color actually lasts longer too as it doesn’t fade in the sunlight. For your classroom I would use pipe cleaners, just make sure to use the fuzzy ones and not metallic ones. Also, if you are putting more than one name in a container make sure they do not touch or the kids names will crystallize together. Have fun!

I bought borax via Amazon a couple of weeks ago. I’m in the UK.

I also have the same problem…
Any thoughts to alternatives?

I don’t think they are that heavy but I did use fishing line to hang the cursive name by the first and last letters. I think a single string would still work as the crystal is quite stiff and strong for hanging but I just wanted a little more support and balance when hanging. I hope yours turned out well! It can be addictive!

I did something similar trying to make a snowflake and used gel. It works but for deeper colors use more than you think you need. The solution was a deep blue I couldn’t see through it. The crystals came out a pretty baby blue but I wanted a deeper color.

Thanks…. I am thinking that I did not put enough borax in…. For an ex teacher my direction reading skills seem to be suffering…. 3 tbsp per cup not container.. ohhhhhhh hahaha I will try again.

thanks. 🙁 sorry for being “that” person.

Hi Marisa,

Just to be clear, you added 9 tablespoons of borax to 2.5-3 cups of boiling water? That should have worked. Did all your borax dissolve in the hot water before adding the letters? If some of the crystals don’t dissolve the borax that does dissolve tends to precipitate out to the bottom where the undissolved crystals are ans not onto the suspended pipe cleaner. Also colored pipe cleaners produce brighter letters (although the crystals are clear/white) than the colored crystal solution does. I hope this helps.

Correction to my quick typing. “too much” sorry!

My girls were so pumped to do it and I feel like I messed up somehow. Any suggestions?

Hi Stacey,

The only reason I could think of for your pipe cleaners floating is perhaps tiny air bubbles are trapped on the little fibers of the pipe cleaner and making it buoyant. I think of you give the pipe cleaner a few taps in the solution it should sink. Hope this works!

Hi Vanessa,

The crystals take overnight to form. This would be such a fun craft to do for fairy camp!

Thank you and I wish you a great and sunny day! 🙂
Louisa

Hi Anna,
The crystal are pretty sturdy. They should make them home in a backpack provided the backpack isn’t tossed around a bunch. My kids never tire of making these so I’m sure your afterschool kids will love doing it too. It might be worth making one at home as a test run before trying it with a group of kids, then you can see how durable they are. Good Luck! Hope it’s a success!

Hi Becky,
Soaking your jar in hot water should dissolve the borax. I usually just run mine under hot tap water and it loosens the crystals enough so I can pour them out. I hope this helps.

As long as they don’t get wet I think they will last for years. We still have ours hanging up and it’s been almost a year. If you dye your solution to make the letters colored the colors will fade, especially if exposed to sunlight. I would recommend using colored pipe cleaners to make the colors last. I hope you enjoy this activity, it’s pretty addicting!

What a wonderful Christmas gift, Lil!! We’re thrilled that you love the crystal name science activity too. 🙂

Oops! I didn’t realize I had to keep it in the same container that has the liquid. I thought I had to keep it in an empty one 🙂

Hi Gracie,
You can put as many letters in as will fit as long as they do not touch each other. Anything that touches will be joined together with crystals. I tried both ways and found doing each letter separately to be easier. Also be careful the letters don’t touch the bottom of the container or they will get stuck. You can get them off but some crystals break off too. Have fun!

It doesn’t matter which goes in first as long as the borax dissolves.

I helped my 2.5 year old form the letters but my 5 year old could do it herself. I did make sure she had twisted the like cleaners well on letter like “A” and “K” that had joining parts.

Awesome, Tonya! I hope they love it too.

im done doing everything exept for waiting man i cant wait

thank you very much ill get started right away

You leave it over night in a spot where it won’t get bonked. Have fun!

i got all the suplies question though do i leave it for a couple of hours or do i leave it for a week or overight please reply today my science pro is next thursdy

i love this website it is going to become my science expirement thank you very much cant wait to show my parents teacher and classmates

I let my 5 year old bend her own letters and she was able to do it pretty easily. I pretty much bent them for my 2.5 year old and let him copy me with some spare pipe cleaners. I hope you enjoy this activity, we are obsessed with borax crystals in any form at our house!