This year I wrote a short story to go along with our annual DIY science ornament! The story is inspired by the idea that, like Christmas gifts appearing magically under a tree, science can also cause overnight magical transformations!
You can read Halley Harper: Science Girl Extraordinaire: The Christmas Present Spy here and follow along with more short stories over on Substack in 2026! Here are the instructions for our 2025 DIY science ornament! ❤️
Make Your Own Crystal Heart Ornament
Here’s what you need: adult supervision, 2 cups of hot water, 1/3 cup of Borax, pipe cleaners, string, a jar, and a pencil.
Here’s what you do:
- Twist pipe cleaner to make a heart shape small enough to fit inside the jar but not touch the sides or bottom of the jar.
- Tie a string around the top of your heart and wrap the string to the pencil to hang your snowflake in your jar.
- Mix Borax and water until dissolved, and pour this solution into the jar.
- Go to bed and read the short story Halley Harper: The Christmas Present Spy!
- Leave the jar with the Borax solution overnight undisturbed. In the morning, you will see crystals that have formed on your heart.
What’s the science? When you mix Borax, a white crystalline solid, in warm water, it dissolves and forms a suspension (tiny solid particles hanging in the water). When the warm Borax solution cools, tiny Borax particles will settle on the pipe cleaner and form crystals. Crystals are everywhere in nature—salt, gemstones, geodes, and snow. Snow is formed when ice crystals deposit on dust or pollen high in the atmosphere!
You can find the book series Halley Harper; Science Girl Extraordinaire Series here!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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