NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Purple Crystal Growing Lab - DIY Crystal Creation - Includes Real Amethyst Crystal Specimen

Great birthday gift for our granddaughter

My 7-year-old girl was so excited when she unwrapped this on Christmas! Santa also brought some science equipment, so we dressed up (lab coat and safety goggles - both not necessary) to get the crystal started. Instructions were clear and easy to follow. We kept it in a safe place for a week. When we first took a look when the week was up, she was disappointed because some water had evaporated, but she couldn't see a crystal. Then I poured out the remaining water - HUGE (her words) crystal! We used a container slightly larger in diameter than an average coffee mug and the whole bottom was covered with little crystal spikes, with a tall "mountain" of large crystals in the center. She immediately brought it up to her room and put in in a place of honor!My only (tiny!) quibble is that my dad was looking for an ingredients list and couldn't find one, even after searching the internet. He's a chemist, so he was curious about this. Nonetheless, he thought it was pretty cool too

The reason I give this product 4 stars is due to the seller's kindness. The first time I grew this with my son, I dissolved the powder in 1 cup of water as directed to in the booklet. I got a cloudy solution, and I remember at the time thinking if I should strain it or not to avoid crystallization points in other areas besides the seed rock. Unfortunately I didn't, and after letting it cool for 15 minutes, I added the seed rock and noticed a rim of "snow" already. After 5 days there was nothing other than a crystal snow, which although impressive, was not our goal.The seller sent a second package with the instructions:Please take these steps with your next experiment in order to achieve optimal results:1. Use a clean (be sure there is no soap remaining after you wash) glass jar as a growing chamber. A wider mouth works better as it allows for more evaporation during the process.2. Use VERY hot water as indicated by the instructions (adult supervision required). (Filtered or distilled water will work best because it will be free of other dissolved material)3. After dissolving your crystal growing powder, let the solution cool for about 15 minutes before adding the seed crystal.4. Once the seed crystal is added place your prepared growing chamber in an out-of-the way place where is won't be disturbed for the during of the growing process.Here are the alterations I used:I used 1.25 cups of water instead of 1 cup. This fully dissolved the powder into a clearish solution. I then quickly filtered it with an Aeropress (which can handle hot liquids). This gave a very clear solution. Then after cooling, I added the seed crystals. I am unsure if you can just gravity filter with a funnel and some loose coffee filters, but the Aeropress was easy.This worked much better and the crystals are slowly growing on the seed crystal. I suspect the process might be faster if I used less water and had a saturated solution, but I didn't want snow again.This experiment was less of a sure-shot than the Ice Age kit that we got (which grew both snow and large single crystals). Here is the ice age kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039N4JAC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My daughter enjoyed the project very much. We finally drained the remaining liquid today and removed the crystal from the growing chamber. It did break when being removed but we ended up with a decent sized chuck. I was out of paper towels so I grabbed a sheet of foil to place the crystals on until the completely air dry. Well, my husband came home from work and pulled me aside. He asked very bluntly why there is meth on our kitchen counter. I googled pictures of meth and it sure as heck looks like meth. We got a good laugh. I definitely won't leave it sitting out on foil anymore though. We will check if it glows in the dark and I'll update if it doesn't.

My kids (ages 5 and 7) and I had a lot of fun with this kit. The instructions are pretty easy and the steps are pretty kid friendly, as far as stirring and mixing goes. An adult does need to help, though, since there is hot water and powdery elements involved. Be mindful of the glass you use to grow the crystals in. Make sure the top of the glass or jar is as wide as the base. I used a tulip glass and found myself breaking the glass with a hammer in order to get the crystals out. The crystals themselves are pretty cool, too. I let them sit in the glass for about two weeks. And, yes, they do glow in the dark. The kit also includes a large flourite crystal and some education on crystals in general. The kids really enjoyed it and would check on the crystals' growth every day.

I love the concept of the National Geographic science kits. We got a kit that included several experiments, they all worked except the crystal did nothing! These kits are fun to do with children but an adult supervision is necessary. The crystal activity I followed the instructions I thought exactly using purified water, boiled in stainless steel, set the project in a glass heat-proof vessel. No crystal. We now have done this 3 times. Success only once, the very 1st try. So now I wonder if the "seed" is not good? I know this can work but it is unpredictable and disappointing for the child. If you get the one with the numerous crystals and the light stand, it is too difficult to scrape away the bottom of the crystal to have the light show through thus the crystal cracks and falls apart. Anyone want to add suggestions to have a successful crystal each and every time with these kits?