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If you’re looking for a fun and easy science experiment to try with your kids, DIY Borax Crystals are perfect!

These homemade crystals are so simple to make with just pipe cleaners, water, and borax. Thats’s it! With these 3 simple supplies, you can make beautiful homemade crystals that are surprisingly sturdy and make great ornaments! The crystals take a few hours to form but the actual prep time only takes about 15 minutes. How COOL is that?!

These crystal shapes made from pipe cleaners and a simple borax solution are SO COOL. And they're so simple to make! Leave them for a few hours and crystals magically form! With a few simple ingredients and just a couple of minutes in prep time, you can create fun and beautiful homemade crystals that are sure to wow your kids. You can make any shape and color crystals that you like. This indoor activity for kids is a MUST!

I seriously love this fun little science experiment using borax to make crystals. My kids found this absolutely fascinating and to be honest I did too. How is it possible to make such intricate crystal formations with a little powder dissolved in water and in a relatively short amount of time too? Well stick around and I’ll show you exactly how to make these amazing DIY borax crystals.

What Do You Need To Make Pipe Cleaner Borax Crystals?

  • Boiling Water
  • Borax 
  • Pipe Cleaners
  • Small Shapes (think puzzle pieces, cookie cutters, small toys)
  • Popsicle Sticks (or something to suspend a string from over the glass jar)
  • Mason Jar (I used 16 oz jars)
  • Thin String or Fishing Line

Are you trying to find a fun and simple activity to do with your preschooler? Try growing borax crystals on pipe cleaners. This is a simple science experiment to do with kids and it creates such beautiful results! You can make any shape. Awesome experiment for all ages and easy for kids to do on their own with minimal to no assistance! Tip- Add couple of drops of food coloring to the borax solution for a fun-colored crystal!

 

How to Make DIY Borax Crystals

Step 1. Gather your materials

For this fun DIY crystal project you will need a few simple supplies. Borax can be found in the laundry section at your local grocery store, Target, or Walmart. I purchased this one on Amazon. Next, grab some different colored pipe cleaners, string, popsicle sticks and a few mason jars. You’ll want to go on a hunt for small shapes throughout your house. These could be puzzle pieces (like I used), cookie cutters, or small toys. You can even free hand your shapes if you’d like! Just make sure that they fit easily through the mouth of the mason jar.  

Here is the best DIY crystal recipe ever! With Borax, pipe cleaners, and water you can make the coolest crystals in a matter of hours. How fun would this be to do with a class full of preschoolers?! This may look like just a fun activity for kids, but it can also be a STEM science experiment. Doing this activity during the holidays? Turn these amazing borax crystals into Christmas Ornaments.

Step 2. Make the pipe cleaner shapes

Wrap each pipe cleaner around your shape, twist the ends together securely and snip off any extra pipe cleaner length.  Then tie a piece of thin ribbon, string or fishing line to each shape like an ornament. 

My kids loved this fun crystal making activity using pipe cleaners and borax! In less than a day your kids can create their very own homemade crystals. We made our crystals into various shapes, but you can make them any way you like. Think swirls, zig zags, even a puzzle piece. This really is a fun indoor activity to do with your kids. The prep time is only 15 minutes and the crystals form in just a couple of hours. Give this DIY crystal making recipe a try today!

Suspend one shape using a popsicle stick over each mason jar. Make sure that your pipe cleaner is not touching the side/bottom of your jar.

Does your child like finding cool rocks and do they absolutely love finding pretty gems? Well, they are going to have a blast making their own crystals out of borax and pipe cleaners. Simply create a shape out of pipe cleaners, soak it in a borax solution, and it just a couple of hours you will have a beautiful homemade crystal shape. I love this fun and easy science experiment for kids! What a great way to learn. Share this with a teacher today!

Step 3. Prepare the borax solution

Mix together 2 cups of boiling water and 1/2 cup of borax. This will be enough solution for 2 crystals! Make sure to mix the solution until it is completely dissolved. Sometimes the water cools a bit and the borax doesn’t dissolve completely. If this happens, pop your borax solution into the microwave for 1 minute and then stir to combine. Just be careful because the water will be HOT! 🔥

Do your kids love rocks and gems as much as mine do? Then they are going to flip at how cool this fun and easy DIY crystal making project is! With 3 ingredients, your kids can make the most amazing homemade crystals ever. Make borax crystals in any shape and color imaginable. It only takes 15 minutes to set up and within 5-6 hours the crystals are already formed. How cool is that. You have to try this fun activity with your kids today.

If you’re planning to do more pipe cleaner crystals, double or triple this recipe. For instance:

4 Crystal Shapes: 4 cups boiling water and 1 cup borax

6 Crystal Shapes: 6 cups boiling water and 1 1/2 cups borax

8 Crystal Shapes: 8 cups boiling water and 2 cups borax

Step 4. Pour and wait!

Now that your borax solution is nice and dissolved, pour it into the mason jar to the top of your pipe cleaner shape. The water level should be right at the top of your pipe cleaner. Any higher and borax crystals will form on the string. 

Are you looking for an easy rainy day activity with your kids? Try making homemade crystals! By mixing borax and water you can grow crystals on pipe cleaners. Kids can pick the shape and color they want their crystal and within hours, they will have the best borax crystals ever. This would even be a great slumber party activity since making pipe cleaner crystals only takes a few hours. Set everything up before the kids go to bed and in the morning, everyone will have their very own DIY crystal. How fun!

Let your crystal pipe cleaners sit in the borax solution for a few hours. Ours set for 5-6 hours and formed very pretty prism like crystals! Once crystals have formed on your pipe cleaners, you can remove them from the solution and let them dry on a paper towel. Once dry, these DIY Borax Crystals are pretty strong! 

Seriously, how cool are these crystals! Who knew you could make homemade crystals out of borax!

But Can You Soak Your DIY Crystals Longer?

Check out these crazy homemade crystals! I soaked these for over 24 hours. I sort of like the overgrown bulky crystal look. It seems more real than the pretty uniform crystals you’ll get in 5-6 hours of soaking your borax crystals. So, the point of all this is to say that you can make your crystals look pretty and delicate or over grown and crazy depending on how long you choose to soak your pipe cleaners in the borax solution. 

Make science fun for your preschoolers with this simple experiment. Mix water and borax to make homemade crystals. Here you will find the best DIY crystal recipe ever. Guaranteed to make the most beautiful crystals and in only a few short hours. Use this fun activity as an opportunity to teach your kids about minerals. Makes shapes, spirals, or fairy wands. The possibilities are endless with this amazing science experiment for kids.

These homemade pipe cleaner crystal shapes are so fun! I would highly recommend this easy science experiment for kids of all ages! Make them at home or in the classroom. Depending on the season, you could even make these beautiful crystals into homemade Christmas ornaments! 

Helpful Tips

  1. You don’t necessarily have to use a mason jar. A disposable cup would work as long as it is heat proof.
  2. Be sure to wipe up any spills quickly or you’ll have tiny crystals on your counters!
  3. Your shapes should be smaller then the opening of your jar as they will grow as the crystals form. If you make your pipe cleaner shapes too big, you may not be able to get your borax crystals out of the mason jar.
  4. Crystals will form on the bottom of your mason jar. For clean up, simply microwave the borax/water solution in the mason jar for 1 minute or until the borax crystals begin to dissolve. Feel free to use this borax water in your laundry. Borax is a cleaning agent after all!
  5. Adding a few drops of food coloring to your borax solution will make the crystals even more vibrant. Give this a try and let me know how it works!

Check out these other fun pipe cleaner crafts for kids!

Beaded Pipe Cleaner Dragonflies | Adorable Pipe Cleaner Animal Pencil Toppers

Follow kids kubby on instagram and Facebook. Easy crafts for kids. Fun and free printables. Creative kids friendly recipes. Instructions always included.

Homemade crystals using borax and pipe cleaners. Fun and easy science experiment for kids. Make in any shape and color! simple indoor activity for toddlers and preschoolersHow to make the best homemade borax crystals ever! These crystals are easy to make, harden nicely when dry and are fun for all ages. Use pipe cleaners to make any shape you like, soak the pipe cleaner in a borax solution for a few hours and BAM you have beautiful homemade borax crystals just like that. Isn’t science fun?! My kids had so much fun making these crystals and they last forever! Try this fun kids’ activity from Kids Kubby today!

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