My six-year-old daughter became obsessed with rocks recently and can’t stop reading about them, looking for them, and wanting to go rock shopping. Based on her love of quartz, I thought that showing her how to grow crystals at home would be the perfect weekend activity.
It’s incredibly easy to grow these “popcorn crystals,” or aragonite crystals, by just using vinegar and a special type of dolomite rock. In fact, it’s so simple your kid might be doing this every weekend in the future.
Supplies:
- Distilled white vinegar
- Dolomite (purchased from a science supply store)
- Plastic or glass container
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Instructions:
Step 1: Place an unwashed piece of dolomite in a plastic or glass container.
Step 2: Cover the rock completely with distilled vinegar.
Step 3: Keep the container undisturbed in a warm location. You will be waiting for all of the vinegar to dissolve, so placing it outside on a hot day will accelerate your crystal growth.
Step 4: Once all of the vinegar has dissolved, you can remove your crystal-covered rock. Feel free to take a closer look at the crystals using a magnifying glass.
And if you’ve got a rock hound in your family, chances are you’ll be repeating all of these steps again tomorrow to see what new crystals you can form on your next piece of dolomite.
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