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  Sweeten up your school's science fair with experiments that involve growing sugar crystals. Students need only a few materials for sugar crystal experiments, and the results can be tasty. Set up class crystal experiments for younger kids, or select advanced crystal science experiments for older kids. Create science fair crystals in varying sizes and colors using food coloring to differentiate between the solution saturation levels or types of sugar used.
  
  

Classroom Experiments

• Growing sugar crystals in the classroom requires several tall glass jars. An experiment for older children uses a canning jar, boiling water, sugar and a string tied to a pencil. The water must be boiling as you add enough sugar to create a super-saturated solution, meaning no more sugar will dissolve in the water. Transfer the finished solution to the jar. Tie the string on a pencil and suspend the string in the solution. Tying a weight, like a metal washer, on the end of the string will keep it vertical in the solution. For a class crystal experiment, divide the sugar water solution into several tall jars. In about a week, once the crystals form, cut the strings into sections for each student to sample.
  
  

Science Fair Experiments

• Science fair projects require careful note-taking as you monitor the progress of the crystal experiment. You can create several crystal science projects by altering water temperatures, the amount of sugar added to the water and the length of time the string is suspended in the solution. You also can perform the same experiment with table salt and compare the results to the sugar crystal experiments. Take photographs or make sketches of the progression of crystals throughout each crystal-growing experiment.
  
  

Rock Candy Experiments

• Home experiments on growing sugar crystals can create a tasty treat of rock candy that you can eat off skewers. Boil 1 cup of water and 2 1/2 cups of sugar until the temperature reaches 250 degrees. Dip a bamboo skewer into the heated solution and let it cool. The sugar will form tiny sugar seeds on the skewer. Pour the sugar solution into a glass jar. Put the skewer in the jar, suspending it so it does not touch the bottom. Cover the mouth of the jar with plastic wrap or waxed paper and allow the syrup to cool; you will see the sugar crystals start forming on the skewer as the solution cools. Boiling the solution with the sugar already added creates larger sugar crystals in a shorter period of time.