Chemistry Monday: Crystal Growing and Marshmallow Molecules

Published Jun 25, 2025

This year, we brought back Artify’s annual summer camp, but with a twist! Called Camp Imagineers, the week-long program combined STEM and art through educational and exciting projects for students to learn about different fields. We launched the week with Chemistry Monday! Campers became junior scientists as they dove into molecular structure and crystal formation. The day began with crystal making, where students worked with alum and borax, mixing them into hot water and watching as tiny solids dissolved to form supersaturated solutions. Using cups, paper plates, sticks, and strings, each student set up their own crystal-growing experiment. Throughout the day, they kept an eye on their creations, watching with excitement as the crystals slowly began to form and take shape.

We talked about how crystals grow molecule by molecule and discussed real-world examples like salt, snowflakes, and gemstones. The kids loved learning that even everyday objects are made of tiny parts working together.

In the afternoon, it was time for marshmallow molecules! With toothpicks as bonds and marshmallows as atoms, campers constructed models of water and other compounds of their own. It was a perfect blend of learning and play! Students practiced counting atoms, connecting them correctly, and thinking about how different structures work in the real world.

By the end of the day, our campers took home not only their crystal projects and edible molecules, but also new ideas of the tiny structures that make up everything around them.