If your kids are looking to get into chemistry or you just want to teach them about science, a crystal growing kit can be a fun first step. But with a huge variety available from a host of different brands, which is the best option?
There are plenty of kits to choose from ranging from the big names like National Geographic or the National History Museum through to more creative projects, allowing children to build crystal trees or sculpt them into rainbows and dolphins.
Below we've picked out the best crystal making kits currently available, offering something for all budgets, ages and interests.
The best crystal making kits
National Geographic purple crystal lab kit
When it comes to crystal making kits, the brand that pops up the most is National Geographic. While it has a lot of different kits that you can invest in, the 'Purple Crystal Lab' seems like the best option, especially as a starter kit. You do only create one crystal but it comes with clear and precise instructions and the end result is a larger crystal than you'll get with some other kits.
The other bonus with this pack is that 27% of proceeds go towards the National Geographic Society, a nonprofit scientific educational organisation.
Science MAD! crystal growing lab
This crystal making kit from Science Mad! is all about value for money. It includes 15 different experiments for you and your kids to complete together. These are all based around making crystals, mostly by using cardboard cutouts to create different shapes and designs like trees and rainbows.
There is also a 20 page book included with this kit, walking you through each experiment and explaining how crystal growth works.
4M crystal growing experimental kit
4M's crystal growing kit isn't the cheapest option around but, it is one of the best options for kids looking to proudly display their results once they're done. It comes with 7 different crystal experiments, offering different colour options where you can mix blue, purple, red, pink and white for the exact look you want.
Once you've completed the experiments, you can then display them in the see-through display cases in the kit and watch as they reach their full size over the next week.
National Geographic glow in the dark crystal lab
Another crystal growing kit from National Geographic... but this time with a twist. This experiment gets you a crystal that will glow in the dark. It includes a genuine Fluorite specimen inside and only includes a couple of steps to grow the crystal to its full size.
National History Museum crystal science kit
Another big name in the world of science education, the National History Museum has a crystal science kit that includes a host of experiments for your kids to try out. The kit includes experiments for a crystal tree, dark crystal clusters and a aquamarine crystal cluster.
Like some other options out there, you do also get methods for displaying your creations but, this kit does set a slightly older age range than some of the other options out there at 14 .
Thames & Kosmos crystal growing kit
The brand Thames & Kosmos has one of the most unique crystal growing kits out there. It comes with 15 different experiments and a 32 page manual to guide you through all of the different options. With this kit, you're able to mold crystals into different shapes like pyramids, dolphins, arrows and more.
This kit has a big focus on the science behind the crystals, explaining how they work and the geometry of the crystals themselves.
Tobar Magic growing garden crystal kit
This kit is something a little bit different to the rest, offering the chance to build a garden of crystals. The kit includes a cardboard structure for you and your kids to build which you can then create crystals on. This will create a garden-style set with pink trees and a little mountain.
This is also one of the cheaper kits out there and it comes with a full list of instructions and illustrations to help you along the way.
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