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How to Grow Rainbow Crystals EASILY at Home – Kids Science Activity

February 11, 2021
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by Beth Gorden

Kids are going to be wowed and amazed as they learn how to make rainbow crystals in this fun rainbow activity for kids! You can quickly and easily grow your own crystals with these fun spring activities for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students.  This borax crystals science project is perfect for celebrating spring, as a St Patricks day activity, or a rainbow activity for preschoolers.

Kids are going to be wowed and amazed as they learn how to make rainbow crystals in this fun rainbow activity for kids! You can quickly and easily grow your own crystals with these fun spring activities for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students.  This borax crystals science project is perfect for celebrating spring, as a St Patricks day activity, or a rainbow activity for preschoolers.

How to make Rainbow Crystals

Did you know that making crystals with borax is actually really EASY! It only takes a couple simple materials and 1 day to grow your own crystals! This fun science project is simple so kids can enjoy the wonder of exploring and trying new things. This how to make rainbow crystals is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, and grade 4 students. Whether you are using this grow your own crystals for st patricks day science or a spring science – this is such a pretty rainbow activity for kids.

Building your own rainbow is a fun STEAM activity. That means this activity combines science, engineering, and art for a truly educational and FUN learning activity!  So how does the science part work? You will be making a saturated soluiotn – it means the solution (water) is filled with as much powder (borax) as it can hold. The hotter the water the more of the solution can be completely mixed in and dissolved. Hot water makes the moecules move away from one another so the borax can join the party LOL.  Cold water means close together molicules that don’t have room to absorb as much borax.  The particles (borax) will settle on the pipe cleaners as it cools and pulls back out of the water forming crystals.

pipe cleaner project for spring

Grow your own Crystals

To make this simple spring science experiment gather up these supplies you may even have on hand already!

Materials:

  • pipe cleaners
  • 3 cups of boiling water
  • 9 Tablespoons Borax (found with laundry detergent)
  • large jar
  • popsicle stick and yarn to hang the pipe cleaners

Borax crystals science project

Borax crystals science project

To grown your own crystal rainbow you will need to first decide if you are makin a complete rainbow semis circle or just the arch we typically see.

For making a complete rainbow you will line up a red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue /purple pipe cleaner. Tie a piece of yarn or string around the end to secure them together. If you are making a half rainbow arch you will cut your chenille sticks in half and then line them up as above and once again tie a strng around the end.

Rainbow Activity for Kids

Rainbow Activities for Preschoolers

If you are making the complete rainbow you will now make the curved semi-circle shape and then tie a seperate piece of string to hold the rainbow in place on the other end too.

Rainbow Activity for Preschoolers

Rainbow Activity for Kids

Attach a piece of string or yarn to a popsicle stick (craft stick). Attach the other end to the string holding together the colorful pipe cleaners.

Spring Activities for Preschool

Spring Activities for Preschool

Now boil 3 cups of water in the microwave or in a saucepan.  Add to 9 Tablespoons Borax (found with laundry detergent) to the water and stir until dissolved.  Pour the HOT mixture into a jar that is large enough to fit the pipe cleaner (you will need a container for each).

Spring Activities for Kindergarten

Spring Activities for Kindergarten

Carefully lower the pipe cleaner rainbow into the solution so it is hanginginthesolution, but is not touching sides or bottom. The borax and water solution must cover the entire pipecleaner rainbow.

rainbow craft ideas

Now leave the borax crystal rainbow undisturbed for 24 hours.

Spring Science

Can you see all the borax crystals that have formed!

rainbow science

Spring Science

Now carefully pull out the rainbows to see the pretty borax crystals that have formed. Be careful not to disrupt the crystals that have grown on the pipe cleaners.

rainbow crystals

How beautiful is the crystal rainbow you grew!  You can hang this on a window, mirror, etc to celebrate the arrival of springtime.

beautiful borax crystals science project for kids

How gorgeous is this rainbow craft! And it is SO simple!

If your kids love slime - they are going to flip over making Rainbow Slime! Use this rainbow activity for kids as part of your next rainbow theme for spring or summer. This colorful slime recipe is also a really fun St Patricks day activity, a weather activity, or a color theme too!   Toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade and 4th grade students will love this rainbow art ideas. Just follow our simple rainbow slime recipe and we will show you how to make rainbow slime. jelly bean stem activity rainbow toast rainbow color matching game

Rainbow Activities for Kids

Looking for more fun rainbow activity ideas? Check these out!

bubble-wrap-rain-craft-for-spring Looking for flower craft ideas? These beautiful painted flowers craft is perfect for toddler, preschool, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade and more. It is a cute, fun, simple to make spring and summer craft for kids. Beautiful summer craft for kids using flowers

Spring Crafts for Kids

Learn how to make these beautiful chromatography flowers using coffee filters and markers. This is both a fun art project AND a simple science experiments for kids that explores colors while making pretty craft flowers for spring and summer.  This STEAM project is the perfect spring activity for toddler, preschoolers, pre k, kindergarteners, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd graders.  Have you heard of the egg drop challenge? My daughter has been begging to do it for months. I don’t know why we didn’t do it sooner. Well, I do. I thought it was going to make a giant mess that I would end up cleaning up but I was totally wrong. It was basically no mess at all. I will even say this Egg Drop Challenge was so much fun! Try this egg drop project with preschool, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students for a fun, hands-on science project for kids.  Flower Activity for kids dying flowers

Spring Science

Check out these outrageously FUN spring science experiments for kids:

shape playdough mats FREE Seeds Find the Letter Worksheets

Spring Printables

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About the author

Beth Gorden

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! She has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids ABCs, science, English grammar, history, math, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables - www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

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