Growing crystals (for children and adults). Equipment, sets

When the child has matured, along with the pride comes the realization that it is more difficult to interest him, surprise him and seriously entice him. There is, however, a way that many people forget, but this pastime will be remembered for life. "What kind of game is this?" The reader will ask. Nothing complicated and costly, just show the child what the growing of crystals is. For children this lesson will be a colossal discovery. After all, this is the creation of amazing things with your own hands, which takes place literally in front of your eyes!

What is a crystal?

The answer to this question is simple in the book version: it is the ordered structure of a solid substance. It seems that nothing complicated, but it is much easier to understand the appearance of this miracle of nature from our own experience. Although in fact, we see the growth of crystals every winter. For children, there is nothing more interesting than the appearance of snowflakes and a beautiful pattern on the window. But in fact, it's all crystals too! They are manifested with a gradual decrease in water temperature, the moisture particles attract and form fine crystals. After thinking, the child will certainly be interested in where he can still see such a phenomenon. To help, then come salt and sugar. Their little grains are also crystals. And my mother's precious casket, on which there are various stones. It does not matter, artificial rhinestones or natural precious minerals. They will help to show the child all the perfection of lines, and also inspire to create such beauty. Moreover, equipment for growing crystals is in every house, and reagents are in the kitchen.

Can not grow a crystal at home?

Maybe! To do this, you need to prepare a container in which it is convenient to create a solution. It is best to use a saucepan or other metal cookware suitable for heating. You will also need a regular spoon to stir the solution, a narrow deep container in which the crystals of the house will be grown. This can be a flask, a can, a large glass or a transparent vase. In addition, you need to stock up a piece of thread (kapron of polyester) and a stick-jumper, on which the crystal will be hung. For these purposes, a pencil or pen will work. The base of the crystal will serve as a ready-made small pebble, its presence must be taken care of in advance.

What can I create a crystal at home?

The crystal can be grown from ordinary kitchen salt. This option is the easiest, does not require additional costs and time to go to the chemical store for the reagent. Cultivation of crystals from copper vitriol requires a constant presence of parents, it is best to conduct such experience only under the guidance of adults. But the use of sugar syrup and growing crystals for children from this delicious product will be doubly pleasant process. A lot of admiring the result, you can eat it and start working again.

This is probably very difficult and long ....

Nothing complicated in the process itself. The instructions for growing crystals consist of the following steps:

• Preparation of equipment and reagents;
• Creation of supersaturated saline solution;
• Installation of the base for the crystal in the container;
• The creation of a new solution and the transfer of the finished crystal into it;
• Enjoyment of the result of experience.

The basis of a beautiful crystal is the right solution for the solution!

To create a crystal clear as a tear, it is best to use distilled water. Its plus is that it is purified in industrial conditions from impurities of salts, which can disrupt the structure of the finished mineral. But simple tap water will also come in handy, it can be previously cleaned with a household filter.

Salt in water dissolves in several approaches. Heating the water to 50 degrees and constantly maintaining this temperature will greatly facilitate the process of salt dissolution. After each addition of the reagent, allow it to stand for several minutes and then mix thoroughly. Salt is poured into the water until it ceases to dissolve and begins to settle on the bottom. Now the salt water needs to be cleaned of debris and dirt particles that fall into the salt, for this it is enough to strain it through gauze or cotton cloth into a clean container in which the crystal will grow.

The seeding tab

Growing crystals for children is interesting precisely by the process itself, so the next step can be safely entrusted to a young chemist. For the basis, you can take a beautiful pebble, rhinestone or just a large and even crystal of salt. From how to install it in the salt solution, the shape of the future mineral will depend. The seed placed on the bottom of the container will grow upward, while its bottom will remain flat, and if you hang it on a thread tied over a bridge and leave it in that position, it will attract salt particles from all sides - and the resulting The crystal can be unique and bizarre.

Capacity should be tightly covered and put in a dark place, best in the closet, for several days. Such a substance is very sensitive to drafts, vibrations and temperature changes, so it is important to ensure a stable environment.

Crystal for a couple of days

In a few days you will see the first results, the crystal will gradually grow, but to stop this process, you need to change the solution, because the old one has already given away a significant part of the salt. The crystal needs to be given time to reach significant dimensions. Most often it's three to four weeks, but the result is worth it.

Crystals of copper vitriol

If you wait so long reluctance or want to try something new, you can try growing crystals from copper sulfate. Before starting the work, it is necessary to explain to the child that this substance is very toxic and it can only be worked with gloves, if the solution gets on the skin, mucous or accidental ingestion, urgent measures must be taken.

If the quality of water plays a mediocre role for crystals from table salt, the growth of crystals from copper sulfate requires exclusively distilled water. Kuporos very easily and quickly reacts with other chemical elements, and the water from the tap does not differ in its ideal purity and transparency. Also, you need to carefully wash the container, in which the composition will be mixed, and it is best to water it with boiling water. This once again shows that parents should engage in similar experiments with the child. All subsequent actions do not differ from the previous method, but the result will not take long. The first grains are formed after a couple of hours.

Should I buy ready-made sets?

When there is no desire or opportunity to engage in selection of packaging and material for the manufacture of natural beauty, you can always use ready-made sets. Moreover, you can buy a set for growing crystals in any department of children's toys, stationery or at specialized points of sale.

Such sets differ among themselves, first of all, with the composition of the reagents and priming. It is already embedded in the kit and can be not only in the form of a small stone, but also have the shape of a heart, an animal, a butterfly, a flower or even a tree trunk. In the sets, all the necessary equipment for growing crystals was chosen and embedded, and colored additives mixed with sodium chloride or copper vitriol will help create a colored mineral, so that it will acquire additional attractiveness.

Prices for sets are very democratic, it all depends on the level of complexity. The simplest can be purchased for up to 300 rubles, the samples for growing a large crystal of the correct form will cost more - from 500 to 800 rubles. A set for growing crystals can be a wonderful gift for any occasion, and if a child is engaged in such experiments with pleasure, a large selection of sets will help create a unique collection of minerals that will decorate any home.

Chemical experiments are not just entertainment!

Modern children are sometimes difficult to distract from computer games, and even more so to interest them in science. But, as practice shows, this state of affairs can and must be corrected by offering a really worthwhile occupation. And what could be better than to conduct a real chemical experiment? Growing crystals, perhaps, will be the first step to great discoveries!