Pilgrims and Pioneers: Make A Coal Crystal Garden

Welcome To Pilgrims and Pioneers!

After many years of researching my family geneaology I have been lucky enough to discover actual information about my relatives that lived in the Pilgrim Era and the Pioneer Era- while many people also have realtives from those eras- many do not know their names or where they lived- actually seeing the proof in print makes you much more aware of who they really were.
After discovering these relatives it of course made me curious to learn more about the eras that they lived in and what their lives were like as, the history I learned in grade school had long since been forgotten.
I decided to start this blog for others who are also interested in these eras.
Some of the information here will be actual facts about my realtives and some will be information about the eras in general that I have found on the web.
I hope you will enjoy traveling back in time with me!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Make A Coal Crystal Garden

I remember doing this as a child. My grandparents had a furnace that burned coal so it was ready available. You can also use a charcoal briquette or stones or small pieces of brick.
They are amazing to watch grow and young children are usually quite excited about them. Be sure to have adult supervision if children are making them as they do use amonia.

CRYSTAL GARDEN: 6 tablespoons salt, 6 tablespoons liquid bluing (see Note), 6 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon ammonia, Food coloring (optional). Combine salt, bluing, water and ammonia. Pour over small pieces of rock or coal in a shallow glass or china bowl. Drip food coloring on top, if desired. Crystals will begin to grow soon. Add water occasionally to keep crystals growing. You'll probably want to place dish on a tray or wooden board as crystals grow over the sides of the bowl. Note: Liquid bluing can be found in most markets in with the laundry soaps and products. The most popular brand is Mrs. Stewart's Liquid Bluing and is used as a laundry whitener.