Christmas Science

Thursday our sitter was getting new carpet, so Paddy and I stayed home together and did SCIENCE! Those are pine cones in the bowls. Patrick gathered the pine cones in Colorado this summer to put in the fireplace this winter. I found an activity that makes the pine cones glow different colors in the fireplace. Here's how
1. Pour 1/2 gallon of hot water into a deep bowl or dish.
2. Dissolve 8 ounces (1 cup) of ONE of the following chemicals in the water. These are what we did
Table salt: for a yellow flame
Borax: for a yellow-green flame (20 Mule Team Borax - you can find it on the laundry aisle.)
Epsom salts: for a white flame
Other chemicals that I didn't want to run out and buy - strontium chloride, boric acid,
calcium, calcium chloride, saltpeter. They all make a different color flame.
3. Soak the pine cones in the solution for 6 hours. I needed to use something heavy like a plate or a bowl to keep the pine cones from floating.
4. Dry them for at least 3 days in a warm, dry area on a news paper. (Mine are sitting underneath my ceiling fan on a old bath towel.)

Whatever you do - DON'T MIX the chemicals. They can make toxic fumes.


Here are my paperwhites. I still see some more blooms. I hope they are still blooming for Christmas. My amaryllis is pretty pitiful, so I didn't take pictures of that one.