Grow a salt garden with a few basic ingredients.
A salt crystal garden not only demonstrates how crystals grow in nature, it gives your children or students a colorful project with almost immediate gratification. Salt crystal gardens grow quickly and can be as colorful or as monochrome as the creator likes. They are also infinitely maintainable, meaning you can keep them as long as you keep feeding them salt.
Instructions
1. Place charcoal briquettes in a single layer in the bottom of your plastic container. Crowd in as many as you can; the more charcoal in your plastic container, the more crystals will grow later.
2. Mix equal parts warm water, ammonia, laundry bluing and salt. Use about 4 tbsp. of each for a small container and about ¼ cup of each for a larger container. Pour the mixture into the container, splashing as little onto the tops of the briquettes as possible. The mixture should reach halfway up the briquettes' sides.
3. Drip about three drops of food coloring on each piece of charcoal. You may use all one color or mix up your colors. Sprinkle a little more salt on top of your briquettes to give your crystals a faster start. They should start to form in about 24 hours.
4. Pour a little more ammonia-bluing-saltwater mix into your garden each day to keep it growing. Aim toward the edges of the garden, pouring directly to the bottom of the container. If you pour the mixture over your crystals, they'll melt. Make sure the liquid level never drops below about halfway up your briquettes.
Tags: your plastic container, little more, plastic container, your briquettes, your crystals