12/02/2025
Baking Soda Pastel Growing Tree
You Will Need
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
Hot water
Shallow containers (plates, dishes, or a foil-lined tray)
Spoon or stirrer
Food coloring (optional)
Tree materials (optional but extra fun):
Pipe cleaners bent into tree shapes
Small twigs
Sponges cut into tree silhouettes
Small plastic animals or figures
Instructions
1. Prepare the Forest Base
Arrange your “trees” inside the shallow container.
Stand pipe cleaners or twigs upright.
Lay sponge trees flat.
Add small toys anywhere you’d like crystals to grow.
2. Make a Saturated Baking Soda Solution
Pour 1 cup hot water into a bowl or measuring cup.
Slowly add ½–¾ cup baking soda, stirring as you go.
Keep adding until the mixture won’t dissolve any more and a layer of baking soda settles at the bottom.
The cloudy water means it’s fully saturated.
3. Add Color (Optional)
Add a few drops of food coloring and stir.
Make multiple colors in separate cups if you want a rainbow forest.
4. Pour the Solution
Gently pour the saturated solution into your container.
Make sure the liquid reaches the base of your trees or objects—this is where crystals will start to grow.
5. Grow the Crystals
Leave the container in a still, undisturbed place.
As the water evaporates, crystals will form on the trees and across the surface.
Growth may take a few hours to overnight.
Slower evaporation = bigger crystals.
A fan or airflow will speed up the process.
6. Finish & Observe
When most of the water has evaporated, your baking soda forest will be covered in delicate white crystals.
Lift and move gently—they’re fragile!