How to Make Crystal Eggshell Geodes in 5 Easy Steps

Learn how to grow your own epsom salt crystals at home with these easy instructions. Growing crystals is a fun DIY science project for everyone!

Crystals carry a certain level of intrigue and wonder. They are beautiful and can be quite mesmerizing. I love having beautiful things and like to create and since you probably do too I’ve put together a tutorial on how to make crystals at home with just a few ingredients! They are super easy and are a fun science project for the whole family.

There are many different types of crystals you can grow at home. This article uses Epsom salts to make crystals. Epsom salt grows beautiful needle like crystals. They grow quickly making it’s perfect for those who just can’t wait to see some results. (Let’s be honest, that’s all of us!)

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Red crystal geode made with epsom salt in an eggshell

Ingredients

1/2 cup Water
3/4 cup Epsom Salt
1-2 Empty Egg Shells washed and dried
Elmer’s glue
1-2 drops Food Coloring (Optional)
Paintbrush (optional)

some of the supplies for making eggshell geodes: epsome salt, elmers glue, eggshells, and a paint brush pictured.

If you’re looking for more projects to make, check out this yummy rock candy you can grow, or this fun sensory cloud dough.

1. Glue “seed” crystals to the empty shells.

Spread some glue on the inside of the eggshells with a paintbrush or your finger. Then take some of the raw epsom salts and sprinkle them the inside of the shells. Let the glue dry the salts in place. This gives the crystals a place to start growing from and helps them grow all over the egg instead of just at the bottom.

painting Elmer's glue to the inside of the eggshell

Sprinkling epsom salts inside the eggshell.

2. Heat up the water

Bring your water to a boil. You can either do this on a stove or in the microwave.

3. Add the epsom salt

Add the epsom salt a little bit at a time. While adding the epsom salt, stir the solution until all the salt crystals dissolve completely. Continue adding the epsom salt until no more dissolves. At this point if you want to add some color to your crystals, add some food coloring to the solution. If you want more than one color, divide the solution into a few different cups. Mugs work great for this since they have a handle and you can more safely handle the hot solution.

pouring the epsom salt solution into three different cups with green, blue, and red food coloring.

4. Pour the solution into the empty eggs

Once the glue has dried on the seed crystals carefully pour the solution into the empty eggs. Remember that at this point the solution and the eggs will be quite hot so make sure that you don’t have to touch the eggshells again after filling them.

pouring green epsom salt solution into the prepared eggshell.

5. Let the crystals grow

Now you just sit back and let the crystals grow. Let them sit until you are satisfied with the crystal size. Epsom salt crystals grow quite quickly, and you may see crystals forming within a few hours. The longer you wait before removing the excess solution the larger the crystals will grow. Leave it overnight and you’ll have some nice sized crystals! When you are happy with the crystal size, just pour out the excess solution.

two eggshells with red and blue epsom salt solution sitting inside.

That’s it! Enjoy your awesome geodes! Thanks for reading.

How to make eggshell geodes in five easy steps