Christmas Tree Stars

You will need:BoraxBoiling waterWide mouthed jarAn assortment of:Pipe cleanersToothpicksElastic bandsStringGlueTo hang the stars in the solution:A stick or pencil, long enough to go over the mouth of the jar.StringTo finish:RibbonFirst off, you need to make a solution from which your crystalswill grow. Dissolve 1 Tablespoon of Borax at a time in theboiling water. You will need approximately 3 Tablespoons of Borax per cup of water. Stir in each Tablespoonful well beforeadding the next. If a bit of Borax remains undissolved at thebottom of the jar, that is fine. Allow your solution to cool.Here comes the crafty bit. Using the pipecleaners, make star shapes. Glue the endstogether. Attach a loop of sting from whichthe star can hang in the solution, beingtotally immersed but not touching thebottom of the jar.Bundle together 3 toothpicks, and wrap an elastic band aroundthem. Fan out the toothpicks to form a star. Snap the elastic

band around each toothpick to keep the star shape in place.Attach a loop of string from which to hang the star in thesolution.Once all your stars have been made, and your solution iscooled, hang the stars in the solution from the stick that islying over the top of the jar. Make sure that the stars do nottouch each other or the sides. Don’t try to make too manystars at once. Leave the stars in the solution overnight. Takeout, and hang to dry.To make more stars the next day, reheat the solution, and adda tablespoon of Borax at a time until no more Borax wants todissolve into the water. Cool and repeat as the previous batch.Attach a ribbon to the star, and hang on your Christmas tree.Store gently for next year.Alternatives:Use any one of the following to learn about the crystals formedby different minerals: Table salt, rock salt, sugar, Epsom Saltsor Baking Soda.Add a few drops of food coloring to the solution for colorfulstars.