Science- Rock Candy Crystals

A fun and easy science project to do with the kids is making rock candy.

1.  Wrap the top part of a pipe cleaner around a pencil. Set the pencil horizontally over a glass so the pipe cleaner hangs 1 inch from the bottom. You can also use a string though it needs to be weighted with a lifesaver or you can use a bamboo skewer (to prevent eating fuzz).

2.   Dip the pipe cleaner in water and roll in sugar. Set aside to dry.

3.  In a saucepan, boil 3 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly.

4.  Pour warm syrup into glass. Place pipe cleaner in syrup.

5.  Leave it in the syrup for 1 week. I poured the syrup into another glass and moved the pipecleaner every few days because I found that too many crystals were growing on the bottom and sides of the glass. When the syrup got low, I reboiled and added some more. Some websites will tell you just to leave it alone for a week, others will say just to scrape off the crystals that form on the top.