GROWING CRYSTALS WITH THE FIVE'S

During the week of February 10th the five's grew a crystal garden. 
They seemed to really enjoy comparing their crystals to others. 
Each morning they looked forward to seeing how much they had grown from the previous day! 
Both the teacher and the children learned a great deal about crystals this week!

PROCEDURE

First the children dipped Q-tips in food coloring. 
One in red, orange, green and blue.  Then we waited until they were completely dry.

Next we stuck the 4 Q-tips in a ball of clay and place this in the center of a clean jar.

Then we made a solution consisting of:
4 tablespoons of liquid Bluing
4 tablespoons of salt
1/2 cup of water
4 tablespoons ammonia (Add last)

We then carefully poured the solution over the Q-tips, making sure each tip was covered.

Finally, we waited for our crystals to grow.  Some grew in as little as two hours. 
After two days we added water to the bottom of the jar.