Yay! It’s fall and soon the leaves will be changing and turning brilliant shades of yellows, reds, and oranges! Until then try out this salt crystal science project perfect for young kids. Growing salt crystals is a really fun and simple kitchen science experiment you can do either at home or in the classroom. Easy science experiments are our favorite no matter what the season!
How To Grow Salt Crystal Leaves
Supplies:
- Salt
- Pot
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Plate or Cookie Tray
Instructions:
STEP 1. Cut out your leaf shapes from paper. You can even use a cookie cutter or freehand your designs! You can also use our printable leaf templates here!
TIP: You can turn these leaves into crystal ornaments by punching holes into the tips before you crystallize them.
STEP 2. Create your super saturated salt solution. Boil 1 cup of water and add enough salt to over-saturate the mixture (I always stop when crystals start forming on the surface of the water)
Alternatively, you can use the microwave to heat your water and add salt afterward. You can heat 1 cup for 2 mins and then stir in one tablespoon of salt at a time. {Probably about 3 tablespoons of salt}
STEP 3. Put the leaves on a plate with space between each one.
BEFORE you pour the solution, move your tray to a quiet location that won’t be disturbed. It’s easier than trying to do it after you have added the liquid. We know!
STEP 4. Pour a thin layer of saltwater solution over the leaves and let your salt crystal leaves sit until the water evaporates. MAKE SURE TO EXAMINE the leaves along the way and check out the crystal growth!
TIP: Let dry completely on paper towels if necessary and enjoy! Make sure to leave out a magnifying glass for your kids to explore close up what the crystals look like!
More Fun Ways To Grow Salt Crystals
We also have made gingerbread man salt crystals, snowflake salt crystals, salt crystal hearts, and Easter salt crystals. See how easy it is!
I also like to think of these science projects as science crafts because you get to play with shapes and colors too!
Growing borax crystals is a good alternative to growing salt crystals. A great experiment would be to try both and compare results and solutions!
The Science of Growing Salt Crystals
What’s the science behind this simple salt experiment? A supersaturated solution!
A supersaturated solution is a mixture that can’t hold any more particles. Like with the salt here, we have filled all the space in the water with salt and the rest is left behind.
Water molecules are close together in cold water, but when you heat the water up, the molecules spread away from each other. This is what allows you to add more salt to get that supersaturated solution. It even appears cloudy.
Try this experiment with cold water to compare the differences in the amount of salt needed to get a supersaturated solution. Compare the results of the crystals afterward.
How Do The Salt Crystals Form?
You have already learned a bit about a supersaturated solution and how it’s made. So how do the salt crystals grow? As the solution cools the water molecules start to come back together, the particles of salt in the solution fall out of place and onto the paper. More will connect with the molecules that have already fallen out of the solution to continue the crystal growth.
A fun fall science project, or fall themed activity to add to any lesson plan or learning time at home! Salt is a basic kitchen supply and this salt crystal leaves science experiment is perfect. Did you know you could enjoy neat but simple science just with salt and water?
Free Printable Fall STEM Activities Guide
More Fun Fall Science Activities To Try
- Why Do Leaves Change Color In The Fall
- Leaf Chromatography
- How Do Plants Breathe
- Apple Browning Experiment
- Dancing Corn Experiment
- Fizzing Cranberries
Printable Fall STEM Projects Pack
This 200+ page fall theme pack complements both the apple and pumpkin packs. There are no overlaps!
What’s Included:
- 20+ Fall theme science and STEM activities with printable sheets, instructions, journal pages, and useful information all using easy-to-source materials perfect for limited time needs. Includes a fall theme engineering pack with fun, problem-based challenges for kids to solve
- Leaf theme science activities include parts of a leaf, leaf coloring pages, leaf rubbing sheets, leaf graphing, and why leaves change colors information and lapbook! Go on a leaf scavenger hunt too.
- Pinecone Pullout Pack: includes pinecone life cycle information, science investigations, and more.
- Fall Screen Free Code Pack includes an introduction to binary code, algorithms, puzzles, and more
- Fall Art/STEAM Projects
- Bonus Fall fun pack includes games and activities to round out your fall theme activities, such as brain breaks, Would You Rather cards, mystery math pictures, and more
Definitely going to try the Apple and pumpkin Science activities.
Thanks.
Awesome! Share over on our FB page how it goes.