How To Grow Borax Crystals

You can easily make these icy-blue crystals – and have snowflakes year-round! You can make borax crystals in the shape of snowflakes or as ordinary crystals.

Step 1

Bend a wire or pipe cleaner into the shape of a snowflake. If you don't have either of those items, you can use a button.

Step 2

Tie the wire, pipe cleaner or button to one end of a piece of string.

Step 3

Tie the other end of the string around the middle of a pencil.

Step 4

Boil 1 c. water.

Step 5

Remove from heat.

Step 6

Add the borax slowly, one teaspoon at a time, stirring continuously.

Step 7

Add blue food coloring.

Step 8

Pour the solution into a glass jar.

Step 9

Place the pencil over the top of the jar so that the string is hanging down into the jar and the wire, pipe cleaner or button is submerged about three-quarters of the way down into the solution.

Step 10

Allow the jar to sit someplace where it won't be disturbed.

Step 11

Check on the solution in about 24 hours, and you'll see crystals forming around the object at the end of the string.