So I just picked up Scientific Explorer’s “Rainbow Crystals” make-it-yourself growing crystals kit. It’s for ages five and up, and I definitely fit in that age range so I thought I would give it a try. As far as cool science toys go, this is now one of my favorites. While it says it has everything you need to grow “huge, soft, colorful crystals instantly,” I was a little skeptical about the instantly part. But to my surprise, the description was pretty accurate. Okay, instantly in this case means in a few minutes, but on the geologic scale and the millions of years it takes some crystals to grow naturally, a few minutes is pretty much instantly. A nice kit overall. Who knew how much fun you could have with cross-linked polyacrylamide?