Yeah, I'm a Science Teacher

So, recently in class we were making non-newtonian, rheoscopic, polymer-based materials aka Slime and Silly Putty. I had some left over Borax that we used to make the slime so I used this recipe to make some crystals.

BoraxCrystalsRecipe:

You’ll need:

• Borax
• A large bowl
• A glass or plastic container (wide-mouthed is best)
• Pipe cleaners, twigs, roots, or whatever you want to cover with crystals
  
• Pencil/chopstick
• Spoon

First, make your frame. Use pipe cleaners to make shapes like snowflakes, trees or octopi. I used twigs, leaves, and roots which ended up looking really great, like twigs after an ice storm. Remember that the crystals will swell , so don’t make the circles/angles too tight, or they’ll grow solid. Unless that’s what you’re going for, which might be cool. Either attach a string to the finished frame or a spare pipe cleaner and then tie the end of that around a pencil or chopstick – you’ll use this to suspend the structure in the Borax solution.

Next, prepare the two containers: one for measuring out the quantity of water you’ll use and another for the actual mixing.

Measure enough water to fill the container you’ll be using for submersion, and boil it.

Fill the large bowl (I used a mixing bowl) with the boiling water, and start adding borax. Mix as you do this, and continue to add borax until it’s no longer dissolving. A quart of water and about 2 cups of Borax did the trick.

Slowly pour the mixture into the plastic container and be sure not to pour in any extra crystals that didn’t dissolve. Too many crystals will compete for growth later.

Submerge your frame into the Borax mixture. Try and keep the tentacles/arms from touching the sides.

Let the shape sit in the Borax over night, but feel free to check periodically. The crystals grow very fast, which is great for impatient geeks (like me!).

In the morning check it out!