Hi everyone! It is day three of the IHN 5-day blog hop and my topic is Winter Crafts for Kids!

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I shared this activity last year, but wanted to re-post it since it was such a fun science experiment/ winter craft idea! Theyโ€™re so easy and while they make really cute Christmas decorations, you could easily do this anytime youโ€™re looking for a fun wintery craft activity!

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The cast of characters:

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  • Borax (2 Tbsp per jar)
  • Pipe Cleaners (3 per snowflake, we used green, but I think white might have been a better choice!)
  • A pen or pencil to secure the snowflake while itโ€™s crystalizing
  • Boiling Water
  • Wide mouth glass jars
  • Scissors

Directions:

Step 1: Cut your pipe cleaner into 3rds. Lay one section horizontally on your workspace, then lay another one on top of it and twist it into a v shape around the horizontal piece. Lay your 3rd pipe cleaner section on top of that and create a v shape again only going the opposite direction of your first one so you have something similar to the below picture:

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Step 2: Using your 2nd pipe cleaner tie it around the center of your flake, leaving a long tail, you will use this to secure your flake in the crystallization solution.

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Step 3: Using the 3rd pipe cleaner, cut six 1.5 inch sections. Tie one around each tip to create your flake detailed edges.

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Step 4: Pour 2.5 Tablespoons of Borax per each cup of boiling water to each wide mouth jar. (I used about 2 cups of water per jar, so about 5 T of Borax.) Just make sure you have enough water to cover your snowflakes. Stir the solution until the borax is dissolved.

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Step 5: Tie the end of your long pipe cleaner around a pen or pencil and gently place the snowflake end into the solution, making sure it is completely covered by liquid. Wait about an hour sometimes a little longer to see your crystals form on the pipe cleaners! (If crystals are not starting to form, you can add a little more Borax to your solution, just stir to make sure it dissolves.

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This flake was created using some twine and a white pipe cleaner, I think the white looks a little better when finished, but it might also be fun to make a whole rainbow set of them with various colored pipe cleaners too!

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Have a fun winter craft to share? Make sure to leave a comment or link below!

6 Comments

  1. My girls and I tried this yesterday – and it didn’t work!? I didn’t have any glass jars with wide enough mouths for the snowflakes to fit, so we used large plastic bowls. Is there anything special about using glass? We’d love to try again, so if you have any tips, let me know! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks!

    1. I have read that there is a variation out there that may help. I read that one should use 3 tablespoons per cup and you may have to wait 8 hours or overnight. Also, it should hang freely and not touch the bottom of the jar. Maybe this helps? I am trying with my girls today! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Susan
  2. hi! I just purchased USA Road Trip, Great Composers and PreK curriculum, but the USA Roadtrip did not download! I have search every folder on my hard drive, but it isn’t there! Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! I look forward to using these great programs!

    Jamie

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