Supplies:

Alum

Water

Fishing line or thread

Pencil or popsicle stick

Tape

2 Jars

Coffee filter or paper towel

Instructions:

1. Heat 1/2 cup of water until hot.

2. Slowly add 2 1/2 tablespoons of alum, a little

at a time, and stir until dissolved.

3. Once the alum is completely dissolved, cover it with a coffee filter to keep

out any stray items.

4. Let sit overnight.

5. There should now be crystals in the bottom of the jar.

6. Transfer the liquid to a clean jar.

7. Choose a large crystal. Tie the fishing line or thread around the crystal.

8. Tie the other end of the thread to a pencil or craft stick that you can bal-

ance on the mouth of the jar.

9. Hang the tread into the mixture without it touching the bottom or the

sides.

10.Let sit.

You can let the crystal continue to grow. Just get a new jar when you see

other crystals forming on the bottom, they will take up the alum you need to

grow a big crystal! You can also add food coloring for a colored crystal. For

more details visit: https://www.thoughtco.com/growing-a-big-alum-crystal-

602197

Potions Class—Alum Crystals with Philip and Nancy from the

Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes

One Month of growth

Potions Class—Rock Candy with Philip and Nancy from the

Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes

Supplies:

Sugar (3 cups)

Water (1 cup)

Food coloring

Popsicle stick or cake pop stick

Tall, narrow jars or glasses (one

for each color)

Clothespins

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 cup of water until boiling. Turn down temperature.

2. Slowly add sugar and stir until dissolved.

3. Let cool for 15 minutes.

4. Add food coloring to the glasses if you like.

5. Add sugar solution to each glass and stir if food coloring was added.

6. Place your popsicle stick in the water so that it doesn’t touch the side or

gets close to the bottom of the glass.

7. Use a clothespin to clip it in place, resting the clothespin across the

mouth of the glass.

8. Let it sit for a few days to

two weeks depending on

how much candy you

want on your stick!

What is a crystal?

Crystals are a special kind of solid material where the molecules fit to-gether in a repeating pattern.

This pattern causes the material to form all sorts of unique shapes.

How do crystals form?

Crystals can form in nature when liquid rock, magma, cools slowly.

When water evaporates from a mixture, crystals can form, such as when salt water evaporates.

Crystals are unique!

They have flat surfaces called Facets.

They can form geometric shapes, likes triangles, rectangles and squares.

The shape is determined by the type of molecules and atoms.

There are 7 basic shapes called Lattices:

Cubic

Rhombohedral

Triclinic

Orthorhombic

Hexagonal

Tetragonal

Monoclinic

Potions Class—Crystals with Philip and Nancy from the

Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes

7 Basic Crystal Shapes or Lattices

Orthorhombic

Hexagonal

Monoclinic

Tetragonal

Triclinic

Cubic

Rhombohedral