Teaching Suggestions - Rocks & Minerals

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• Things you need
• What to do

This activity is about making crystal columns using commonly available household equipment.

Things you need

• 2 large jam jars
• Hot water TAKE CARE!
• 1 measuring cup
• 1 tablespoon
• 10 tablespoons of washing soda (this is easily bought from the supermarket)
• 1 stirring spoon
• 1 small tray
• 1 strip of old absorbent material, for example, towelling (approximately 2.5 cm wide by 45 cm long)
• 1 jam jar lid

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What to do

1. Rinse the jam jars out with hot tap water.
2. Pour 1.5 cups of hot tap water into each jar. TAKE CARE!
3. Add 5 tablespoons of washing soda to each jar.
4. Stir with the stirring spoon until dissolved.
5. Place the jars on the tray approximately 20 cm apart.
6. Place the lid between the two jars.
7. Drop one end of the material strip into each jar.
8. Let the middle of the material hang over the lid, sagging a little.
9. Leave for a few days and observe the results!

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