Reptiles Leopard Geckos

What a great way to make a science project to learn how to create crystals.

A quick and beautiful crystal formation can be processed with a few simple items. If you want to prepare this science experiment you will need to go shopping for the following items or look for some of the pieces in your home.

You will need the following:

• 1 tall glass jar with a wide mouth. If you have a canning glass jar this would work well.
• Boiling water
• Copper sulfate (you can get this at a store that has agriculture products as this chemical is used for herbicide and fungicide. It usually is sold in a 50 pound large bag but you can explain to the sales person you are using it for a school science project and they probably sell you a small amount such as pound)
• A pipe cleaner
• A string about 1 to 2 feet long.
• A pencil
• Rubber gloves

1. Put your gloves on and take the pipe cleaner and form a circle and twist the ends together forming a circle.
2. Take the string and attach the end of the string to the circle of the pipe cleaner.
3. Squeeze the pipe cleaner slightly and twist a few times to create a different shape.
4. Set your glass jar on the counter and place some newspaper underneath to avoid spills.
5. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of copper sulfate into the jar.
6. Pour about cup boiling water into the jar and stir well with a spoon.
7. Add another heaping tablespoon of the chemical and another cup boil water. Do this until the jar is at least 2/3 full or almost full.
8. After the water is all in you may add 1 more spoonful of copper sulfate and stir until dissolved.
9. Tie the other end of the string to the pencil with the pipe cleaner tied to the opposing end. Make sure it is short enough so that the pipe cleaner can hang suspended in the center of the jar of water and the pencil will sit on top of the jar.
10. Lower the pipe cleaner into the hot water and lay the pencil horizontal on top of the glass jar.
11. Leave the jar alone for 24 hours.

In one day get the jar and remove the pencil from the water. You should see a beautiful dark blue crystal formed on the pipe cleaner. Depending on the amount of copper sulfate in the liquid will depend on the amount of crystal formed. Of course, a large amount means a large crystal and a small amount should be smaller crystals.

You can discard the liquid in a safe place. You may want a parent to dispose of it. Do not pour it down the sink.

Get more science project ideas and easy science projects at http://scienceprojects.fetching.us

Lesa Bolt is a contributor to science projects.