This is a review of the Kosmos crystal growing kit. It’s not a sponsored post, just our honest opinion. We got no compensation. Some pictures are affiliate links, though – if you buy through them, we’ll get a small compensation for it.

The Fighting Princess is a total science nut. She always wants to figure out how things work, So her Oma gave her a crystal growing kit for her birthday. While I couldn’t find the one she got – well I did, but it doesn’t ship to the US – this one seems to be exactly like the one we have.

So, what’s inside?

What we first noticed when opening the box was the full color manual. The fighting princess started reading the safety rules while I checked out the rest of the box. For all their insisting on proper lab rules, the chemicals inside are not particularly dangerous. My daughter is really strict when it comes to the rules 🙂

There are three different chemicals for making crystals, but the one used in almost all experiments is Potassium Alum Sulfate.

I thought the experiments would be too short, but it turns out they are  perfect. There is a short period of activity, followed by waiting. The crystals take from 24h to a couple of days to grow, so you can start the experiment when you have about half an hour. If you want to do more than one experiment you can – the crystals might take time and the experiments are serial, but there are a few that will work parallel, too.

The result is gorgeous. The Fighting Princess is now obsessed with the pretty Alum gems. She keeps them in a see through treasure chest that comes with the kit.

Once we run out of Alum, we’ll simply get a pound of the stuff from Amazon. She is currently planning to make crystals for all her friends as holiday presents next year, so we’ll get some in September. I will experiment with colors too. I let you know how that goes.

What age is it for?

It is marketed as 10+, but Fighting Princess had no problems at all. She understands what is happening and why the crystals grow and the tasks are pretty easy. So for gifted kids interested in science I’d say 7 and up – but with the help of an adult you could start earlier, if they like the topic.

Is it worth getting?

Absolutely. While we are extremely happy with the kit we have, crystal growing kits are pretty popular. As long as you grow alum crystals, they should work similarly.
If you don’t want to buy a kit, some alum and a mason jar will do. There are a lot of wonderful tutorials online. Here is one on wikihow – very easy to understand.

What is next?

This is the first part – I plan to add more, if that is something you want to read. Coming next is a short one on excavation kits, but I’m open to suggestions. Let me know in the comments section!
Did you grow crystals as a kid?