Recently, I babysat a girl with a love for science, so we made crystals. Sugar crystals are easy to make, and the best part is that you can eat them when you're done! They take about a week or so to grow, so making them guarantees you another job so you can observe them with the child(ren) when they've grown :)
You will need:
water
sugar (it's a great idea to bring your own but most households have it)
a mixing bowl
glass jars with lids
small squares of fabric (one for every jar)
popsicle sticks
string
food coloring (optional)
Procedure:
1. Boil the water (make sure you've okayed this with the parents)
2. Stir the sugar in (as much as possible until it is completely saturated- no more will dissolve into the water). At this point, put food coloring in the mixture if you want.
3. Pour the mixture into the jars
4. Cut a hole in the fabric and pull the string through. Tie the string to a popsicle stick.
5. Screw the top on over the fabric but under the stick (see picture)
6. Set on a shelf/window sill where they can sit, untouched.
7. In about a week, the sugar crystals should grow. You may want to instruct the children to observe the jar(s) until then and maybe even draw them every day or every other day.
If the sugar crystals don't form, the next time you see the children, talk about what may have gone wrong and what you could change to see what happens. If you want, try to make them again with a new variable.
