Colorful Crystal Candies for Christmas

Christmas isn’t complete without homemade treats. Are you excited to make your own crystal candies and share them too?

Items Required:

• 1.5 cups of white sugar

• 1 cup water

• Different food colorings

• Glass jars

• Lollipop sticks (or Skewer sticks with sharp end cut off)

• Plate, sauce pan, spoon

Steps:

Caution: This activity must be done with care and with the help of an adult.

• Start by soaking the sticks in a glass of water for 2 minutes, then roll them in sugar and set them aside on a plate to dry. (The stuck sugar will help our crystals to grow!)

• Set the sauce pan on a stove. Pour in the measured water and sugar, and bring it to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and keep stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Then, turn off the stove. Now, you have a hot and super saturated sugar solution.

• After letting the pan cool for a few minutes, pour the sugar water into separate jars. Add a few drops of food coloring to each jar and stir well.

• Once the sugar coated sticks are fully dry, place one in each jar. Leave the jars undisturbed, occasionally, stirring gently to break up any big crystals.

  
  

And now comes the fun part – wait and watch as the crystals grow on the stick! After a week, you’ll have your very own sparkly crystal candies, perfect for sharing.

What makes the crystal candies so dazzling and beautiful?

Crystals are solid materials with tiny particles arranged in an orderly, repeating pattern called a lattice. This structured arrangement interacts with light by reflecting and refracting it, creating beautiful shines and sparkles. Examples of crystals include diamonds, salt, sugar, and snowflakes.

This is how a lattice could look like. Taken from: https://www.tec-science.com/material-science/structure-of-metals/important-types-of-lattice-structures/