Read this aloud:
Deep in a cave in Mexico, explorers found crystals as tall as a house. Nobody carved them. They grew, slowly, by themselves, over hundreds of thousands of years. Sam picked up the salt shaker and looked closely at a few grains. "These look like tiny boxes," Sam said. "Did they grow too?" Your job: grow your own crystals, and find out what they need to grow.
Jobs:
- One child does everything, with you helping.
- Two children: the Watcher (checks the dishes every day with the magnifying glass) and the Recorder (draws and writes in the log).
- Three children: add a Guard, who makes sure nobody moves or bumps the dishes all week.
In the full lesson PDF
- Bet (5 min)
- Hunt (20–30 min, then 5 min a day)
- Reveal (10 min)
- Act (10 min)
- The science, for grown-ups
- Questions they'll ask (and what to say)
- Make it easier, make it harder
- Go further
- Student sheet
Written for parents: no science background needed. US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white, with a kids’ sheet on its own page.