Crystal Candy Cane Ornaments - A Book Inspired Art Project
Candy Cane Ornaments made with Crystals? YES! We have created the coolest art/science project that is perfect for the Holiday Season! Let's decorate our Christmas Trees with these fabulous creations...
Do your kids love making crystals? How about a crystal candy cane?
We have been reading Scavenger Scout: Rock Hound by Shelby Wild and Yana Popova, and with Christmas coming, we wanted to use the Crystal Making Technique we learned while making crystals last month, to make more unique crystal shapes with pipe cleaners! And the idea for Sparkely Christmas Ornaments was born! Let's make these sparkly, adorable Crystal Candy Cane Ornaments, shall we?
This project goes wonderfully with the book Scavenger Scout: Rock Hound by Shelby Wilde and Yana Popova
Related Post: Scavenger Scout Book Review + Spotlight
Crystal Candy Cane Ornaments - A Book Inspired Art Project
Supplies Needed:
- Borax Powder
- Boiling Water
- Measuring Cups
- Pipe Cleaners
- Chopsticks
- String
- Liquid Food Coloring
- Scissors
- Spoons
Tips before you begin:
- For every 1/2 cup of water, you need 1 TBSP of Borax, completely dissolved. Use this to guide you, because it will depend on the size of the container you are using, and how many cups of water you can fit.
- You must make sure that your pipe cleaner does not touch the BOTTOM and SIDES of your container, for the best crystals to form.
- If you can wait, let them sit for as long as you can. We left these sit for 3-4 days in the end, because we really wanted to see how many crystals they could make, and how thick.
- When you do this art/science project with your kids, share your creations on Instagram and tag me! @alexandra.derry I cannot wait to see them!
Method for making your own crystals with your kids:
https://youtu.be/3By9cqWqV5o
To create your Crystal-Making Solution:
Start by gathering your supplies together, and boiling your water.
Measure out your water, and add in your borax powder. With a spoon, stir your water constantly until your borax has mostly dissolved, and the water is clear. It is ok if you have a little bit of powder at the bottom.
Once your water is clear, add your food coloring. Add lots and lots of food coloring!
To create your Candy Cane Ornament:
Take two different kinds of pipe cleaners, and cutting them in half, then twist them together to make your candy stick. Then curve over the top to make your cane shape.Cut out some string and tie a knot at the top, and simply hang you candy cane on the string loop. You can tie a knot here if you like.
Grab your chopstick and measure the height you need for clearance at the bottom of the container, by holding up your candy cane next to your container.
Secure your sting onto your chopsticks, and if you are making more than one like we did, you can tie two per chopstick.When your crystal-making solution is ready, simply dip your pipe cleaner ornament into the water, and allow to sit in a place it can be undisturbed. (top shelf, garage, basement, etc) We placed ours on a cutting board so I could transfer them easily to their resting place.
Allow them to sit for 1-2 days depending on how long you can wait. The longer they sit in the solution, the larger the crystals will be! Ours were left in the solution for about 4 days because we really wanted to test to see how large they would get.
Allow them to dry completely before you hang them up on the tree!
I was so happy with how they look on our white tree, and the crystals sparkle and reflect off the little lights from the tree. So beautiful. I encourage you to try all kinds of shapes and coming soon, I will show you how to make the coolest 3D Crystal Star Ornament!
A fun added learning addition:
If your child is interested to do so, have them check on it each day, and make notes in a science journal about what they can observe, and what has changed from the day before.Thank you for checking out our latest Book Inspired Science Project Today, we hope you liked it, and if you give this a try with your kids, please comment below, or share your creations on Instagram and tag us @alexandra.derry!
Check out more of our Scavenger Scout: Rock Hound Inspired Learning Activities:
Rock Dig with Scavenger Scout + Discovery Kids Kits
The first time we made Crystals
Scavenger Scout Book Review + Spotlight
Grab your own copy of Scavenger Scout: Rock Hound by Shelby Wilde and Yana Popova Today!
Thank you for reading today, and if you try this fun hands-on project with your kids, please share and tag me on Instagram @alexandra.derry!Til next time,Breathe deeply and enjoy building your masterpiece with scissors and glue and crystal ornaments too!~Alexandra
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