Crystals hold a certain charm for both children and adults. That’s why we’ve come up with a delightful science activity that involves creating beautiful and dazzling eggshell geodes using borax crystals. We love making fun borax crystals around here. This Growing crystal egg geodes made with borax was a fun science experiment that the kids loved. I am excited to show you how to set up this Eggshell Crystal Geodes Science Experiment. Get ready to explore the wonders of science and have fun at the same time!
Eggshell Crystal Geodes Science Experiment
If you are looking for a fun science experiment to do with the kids that will teach them about science, crystal formation, and geodes this egg experiment is perfect. Using a borax solution and eggshells you will be able to grow your own crystal geodes at home inside the eggshell of an egg!
Creating crystal geodes using borax with this egg geode experiment is an easy and engaging method to discover the science of crystals. Kids will also learn about the re-crystallization process, and the concepts of saturated solutions and solubility. It’s a fun and educational way to explore the world of chemistry and gain a better understanding of how crystals form.
This fun activity using the shell of real eggs and a few other supplies are perfect for having the kids grow homemade geodes. Growing colorful geodes at home pairs perfectly for learning about natural geodes.
We call these Eggshell crystals Geodes because when they are grown in the eggshell they are growing in the hollow part of the eggshell. This makes them grow in the same way as a real geode does inside a rock.
Fun Facts about Geodes
- Geodes are popular with collectors and are often used as decorative pieces in homes and museums.
- The word “geode” comes from the Greek word “geoides,” which means “earthlike.”
- Geodes are geological formations that occur when minerals inside a cavity or nodule of rock grow into a hollow sphere, resulting in a rounded, often crystal-lined interior.
- Geodes can vary in size, from just a few centimeters in diameter to several meters.
- Geodes may appear like ordinary rocks on the outside. Once they’re cracked open, the sight can be truly awe-inspiring and you can see the geodes have formed in the hollow spaces of the rock.
The science behind Crystal Growing Science Experiment
Crystal growing is a fascinating chemistry project that is both easy to set up and highly educational, offering insights into liquids, solids, and soluble solutions.
To create a supersaturated solution, you’ll need to add more powder to the liquid than it can dissolve. The hotter the liquid, the more powder it can dissolve because the molecules in the water move further apart, allowing for more powder to be absorbed.
As the solution cools, the molecules move closer together, causing some of the particles to fall out of suspension and onto the eggshells. This process is called recrystallization. Once a small seed crystal is formed, more particles attach to it and grow into larger crystals.
Crystals are solid objects with flat surfaces and a symmetrical shape that will always retain their structure (unless impurities interfere with their growth). They are composed of molecules that are arranged in a perfectly repeating pattern, with some crystals being larger or smaller than others.
How Long does it take Eggshell Crystal Geodes to Grow?
The great thing about growing borax geode crystals is that there is not a very long time to wait for the crystals to grow. I have kids and I know that patience is not a strong suit that most kids have. I am not very patient either, so having a science project that shows the results quickly is what we need in our house.
After you make your borax crystals solution and put the pipe cleaners in, you only have to wait about 24 hours to see the results. Many of the crystal growing kits we have done in the past have taken days for crystals to form, we all we very impatient.
Variations of this Science Experiment
Use larger eggshells. See how many more crystals will grow if the eggshells you are using are bigger.
Use Epsom salt. Change up the Borax for Epsom salt and see if the same crystals grow.
Longer time. Leave them in longer to see what happens to the size of the crystals. Will you get large crystals or if the crystals stay the same size?
Skip the food coloring. If you want clear crystals then skip the food coloring.
How to Remove Stuck Crystal Eggs from the Jars
If the egg shells are stuck, you can use hot water to swirl around the edge of the jar to loosen the shells.Â
Eggshell Crystal Geodes Science Experiment Supplies
- Clear school glue or white glue
- Food Coloring (I chose blue, pink, and purple but you can use any colors that you want to)
- 8 cups Borax
- 8 cups Boiling Water
- 8-12 Empty Egg Shells
- Paintbrush
- 4 glass Jars. You can use mason jars or another glass container.
- Spoon
- Paper Towel
- latex gloves. You are working with chemicals so you may want to wear latex gloves when making them.
How to Make Eggshell Crystal Geodes Science Experiment
Wash and clean the empty eggshells. Make sure no egg is present on the entire inside of the shells.
With a paper towel, dry the inside of each eggshell.
With a paintbrush, paint the inside of each eggshell with a thin layer of glue. I choose to also add glue around the edge of the eggshell as well so my crystal would grow around the exterior well, too.
Pour some of the borax powder into the eggshell to coat the glue layer. Shake off the excess borax powder. Allow the glue to dry completely.
Heat 2 cups of water in a jar to boiling.
Add 6-8 drops of food coloring to the hot water followed by 1½ cups of Borax. Stir very well. Stir until almost every bit of the Borax is dissolved. Then add more Borax until you simply cannot get any additional Borax to dissolve in the water.
Repeat with the remaining water and borax. You end up with 4 different colors of water and borax solution, one in each jar. Allow the hot water to cool to room temperature.
Once the water cools, place 4-6 pieces of eggshell into each of the jars submerging the eggshells in the solution and at the bottom of the container.
Place the jars in an area that is at room temperature and will not be touched. Store the jars overnight for the crystals to form well.
The next day, check on the crystals and you will see that the contents now form crystals.
Once the crystals have formed, drain the water from each of the jars.
Using your fingers or a skewer, gently pull loose egg shells out of the jars.
Once removed from the jars, pat dry the crystal shells.
Eggshell Geode Crystals Science Experiment
Crystals hold a certain charm for both children and adults. That's why we've come up with a delightful science activity that involves creating beautiful and dazzling eggshell geodes using borax crystals. We love making fun borax crystals around here and this crystal egg geodes made with borax was a fun science experiment that the kids loved. I am excited to show you how to set up this crystal geode experiment. Get ready to explore the wonders of science and have fun at the same time!
Materials
- Clear school glue or white glue
- Food Coloring (I chose blue, pink, purple)
- 8 cups Borax
- 8 cups Boiling Water
- 8-12 Empty Egg Shells
- Paintbrush
- 4 glass Jars. You can use mason jars or other glass container.
- Spoon
- Paper Towel
- latex gloves. You are working with chemicals so you may want to wear latex gloves when making them.
Instructions
- Wash and clean the empty eggshells. Make sure no egg white is present on the entire inside of the shells or on the outside of the shell.
- With a paper towel, dry the inside of each eggshell.
- With a paint brush, paint the inside of each egg shell with a thin layer of glue. I choose to also add glue around the edge of the eggshell as well so my crystal would grow around the exterior well, too.
- Pour some of the borax powder into the egg shell to coat the glue layer. Shake off the excess borax powder.
- Allow the glue to dry completely.
- Heat 2 cups of water in a jar to boiling.
- Carefully add 6-8 drops of food coloring to the hot water followed by 1½ cups of Borax. Stir very well. Stir until almost every bit of the Borax is dissolved. Add more Borax until you simply cannot get any additional Borax to dissolve.
- Repeat with the remaining water so that you end up with 4 different colors of water and borax solution, one in each jar. Allow the hot water to cool to room temperature.
- Once the water cools, place 4-6 pieces of eggshell into each of the jars, pressing them down into the water. The egg shells must be completely submerged and at the bottom of the container.
- Allow the eggshells to rest overnight. Keep them still and at room temperature for the crystals to form well.
- The next day, check on the crystals and you will see that the contents now form crystals. You can remove them now or let them stay in the jars to see if more crystals will grow the longer you keep the eggshells in the solution.
- Once the crystals have formed, drain the water from each of the jars.
- Using your fingers or a skewer, gently pull loose egg shells out of the jars. If the egg shells are stuck, you can use hot water to swirl around the edge of the jar to loosen the shells.
- Once removed from the jars, pat dry the crystal shells and enjoy!
