Make science Christmas ornaments to decorate your holiday tree or home by applying chemistry, crystal-growing, and other techniques. These make great projects for the home as well as the classroom.
Silver Mirror Christmas Ornaments
Perform a simple redox chemical reaction inside a hollow ornament that deposits real silver, forming a mirror. This is a classic Christmas chemistry project that produces a keepsake decoration.
Grow borax crystals over a simple (or complex) snowflake shape that you make by twisting pipe cleaners together. This sparkly science Christmas ornament grows overnight.
Discover how electroplating works by applying the metal activity series to deposit copper over a galvanized or tin star. Cut the metal with tin snips or make the shape using wire. Explore other science Christmas ornament designs besides stars.
Grow borax crystal stars (just like the snowflakes, but a different shape) or deposit crystals onto any rough star surface to make science Christmas decorations. Try forming stars with string or cutting them out of paper.
Similar to paper snowflakes, you cut out atom shapes. The “science” is the shape, not so much the construction method, but these are fun and interesting holiday decorations. Download and print the PDF for the pattern, so cutting is easy.
Crystal Candy Canes or Stockings
Similarly, use felt stockings, yarn candy canes, or pipe cleaner candy canes as the substrate for growing crystals. Salt crystals produce a pebbly sparkly surface, while urea crystals produce a fluffy, snowlike surface. Apply science and experiment!