One particular item always makes its way into our home, and that would be the good ol’ rock. Yes rocks….we could start a serious collection with all of them. This fun science activity is perfect for all those who love rocks and all things shiny. Here is how to grow gorgeous geodes with kids!
What is a geode?
What is a geode? According to Carol Moore of Magic Keys, a geode is a round sedimentary or igneous rock that has a hollow cavity lined with crystals. They can be found out in nature as solid looking rocks. When broken open, you will see the hollow cavity lined with crystals. Geodes are normally found in animal burrows or tree roots as well as in the bubbles of volcanic rocks. So basically a hollow area. It can take hundreds of million years for a geode to be created. How crazy, huh?! Well, we will be growing our very own geode in less than a day!
Now for the fun part, how to grow gorgeous geodes with kids. You can easily find the items needed at your local dollar store. Can we say ‘win’? This activity does require adult supervision since you will be working with boiling water as well as some patience for the growing of the geode.
Items you will need:
Borax (about 4-5 tablespoons)
Food coloring (optional)
Wire pipe cleaners (the fuzzier the better)
Fishing line or gift ribbon
Wooden skewer or popcicle stick
Glass measuring cup or mason jar
Dish towel
How to grow gorgeous geodes with kids :: Steps
First step will be adults only: bring about 2 cups of water to a boil. While the water is boiling, you can have your child/children pick which pipe cleaners they want to use. The color of the pipe cleaner will be the real color determinant of your geode. The more dense the pipe cleaners, the more spherical the geode will be. Crystals will grow on the pipe cleaner either way. If you have a child that is determined to grow crystals on a heart shaped pipe cleaner, then go for it! Once the pipe cleaner is shaped, it will need to be attached to the popsicle stick/wooden skewer with the fishing line/gifting ribbon. Now that your pipe cleaner(s) are shaped, you can have your younger scientist(s) measure out the borax into the glass measuring cup or Mason jar. We decided to use a Mason jar since the mouth is much smaller and could hold our popsicle stick.
By this point, your water should be about to boil or boiling. When the water begins to boil, have your child add food coloring to the already measured out borax-this is if your child is wanting to add food coloring. The food coloring just adds a little extra coloring and is not the color determinant. Now, the next step is for the adult: remove the boiling water from the stove and pour into the glass measuring cup/mason jar. If your child is capable, you may have them stir. The borax should dissolve easily. Once the borax is dissolved, place the pipe cleaner attached to the wooden skewer/popsicle stick into the solution. The pipe cleaner shouldn’t touch the bottom or the sides of the glass. Once the pipe cleaner is added, place a dish towel over the top. This will help control the evaporation and the growth of your geode.
The waiting game now begins. Your geode will take at least 6 hours or overnight to grow. Some advice on this whole patience and waiting thing….if your child/children don’t do well with waiting for that long and your sanity is already in question, wait and do this project at the end of the day. The longer you let it ‘grow’, the bigger your geode will get. It seriously takes about 5-7 minutes to prep! My kids started their geode right before dinner. This way, it could just rest all evening and overnight. When they woke up, they were super excited to find a geode waiting on them.
How to grow gorgeous geodes with kids is fun and educational! Below you will find a few worksheets for furthering your geode activity. I hope your little scientist(s) enjoy!
More fun kid activities: Fun Activities for Kids , How to Reuse a Cardboard Box for Fun
Hugs!
Great Worksheets about Rocks/Minerals and the Rock Cycle :
