A little update from an activity we began during our rock unit about 6 weeks ago...
Our bright 3rd graders used just fertilizer and hot water to grow an impressive crystal! This fun and educational project shows how simple household ingredients can create something beautiful through the science of crystal growth. It's a fantastic example of what happens when curiosity meets hands-on science.
Our crystal growth
journey
·
Simple
Ingredients:
We dissolved a common
fertilizer, like monoammonium
phosphate (MAP), into hot water
until it was completely saturated.
·
Super-Sized
Growth:
Over a period of time,
we watched as the solution cooled and the dissolved chemicals began to form a
large, perfect crystal.
·
Gifted
minds at work:
This project was a
huge success for our gifted students, who loved experimenting with science to
create a large, sparkling crystal right in our classroom!
Why this works
This experiment works
because as the hot water cools, the solution becomes oversaturated with the
fertilizer's dissolved chemicals. The chemicals start to come out of the
solution, and one small "seed" crystal acts as a base, allowing more
and more chemicals to attach to it as it grows.
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