It's not every year I get my kids for the Summer. Due to the divorce they are usually sent off states away for two months. Being the artist I am, I wanted to do a few memorable activities to stimulate their minds. So we decided to discover a mythical creature we weren't as knowledgeable of like the usual mermaids and unicorns.

In this project you will learn a fun story, create something awesome to give away that your family and friends are bound to love and how to create crystals.

THE STORY:
The basilisk is an awkward creature of European Tales. These hybrids of rooster and snake are among the most deadly in mythology. Various type exist. Most grow no more than a foot in height, head outstretched. Some of the most terrifying abilities they have are to petrify, turn you into stone or even just cause you to fall dead with just one glance! Others are able to rot bushes, cause rocks to burst and set grass on fire when they touch or breath on it. STORY Basilisks became native to earth in a strange occurrence when the dog star, Sirius, shined down on a rooster which then grew the egg in its belly and soon laid it. The rooster was so stunned and embarrassed by the shocking event that it buried the egg in a pile of Ox Dung. A toad, that witnessed this happening, took care of the abandoned egg and hatched it. The basilisk was said to be extinct but the fairies have found many eggs located all over the world. Knowing the dangers of the creature they purified it with their magic and kept them locked away. One day, a ravenous stone fairy stole an egg from its chamber and brought it home to cook. When he cracked it open he discovered that the purification the fairies had omitted were turning the inside into crystal concealed around gems. - by Kristiena Manbeck and Kids (Us!)

I hope that you will enjoy this activity as much as we did and create other fun things with plaster and homemade crystals!

Supplies

You will need 2 GLASS Jars with LIDS
One Deviled Egg Tray
One Quart Container to Mix Ingredients
2 Quart Pot
Mixing Spoon
Plaster of Paris
Borax
Water
Food Coloring

Step 1: Create the Mixture

For the first step you will need to make the mold which the crystals can attach themselves too. Pull out you Plaster of Paris, Water, Food Coloring, Egg Tray and Container you are using to mix the ingredients.
The next few steps is time sensitive. You can't be to slow because the mixture will dry pretty quickly!

Mix 3/4th cup of Plaster of Paris with 1/4th cup of water and a few drops of food coloring until it forms a smooth texture.

You can add more water if needed but be sure your plaster is not to watery or your shell will not dry.
I personally add about 7-10 drops of food coloring for my eggs because I love vibrant colors!

Step 2: Creating Your Mold

Now set your mixture into the egg rounds of the tray. One table spoon each is plenty. Be quick because after you have filled all the sections you desire, you will need to scoop out the center. You know how you make a little bowl in your mash potatoes to fill in the gravy? Yeah, like that! Good Job! Now set that that aside for 30 minutes so it can dry.

Step 3: The Crystal Potion

You can create crystals cheap and easy in your own home. Children will need careful supervision for this next step. Bring out your Pot, Borax and Water.

Boil 1 and 1/2 cup of water in a medium pot on the stove, set to medium high
Poor 1/2 cups of borax into the pot
Stir the Borax until it is completely dissolved

Step 4: Preserve and Grow

WARNING! If not careful, the next steps can create a serious injury. I suggest you wear pot holders when to protect bare skin.

Your egg shells should be ready to remove from the Egg Tray. Just bend the tray a little to release the molds, like ice in ice trays.

Place the Mold at the bottom of the Jar then put the Jar on a heat safe surface that can easily be moved if needed.
Carefully poor the Borax and water mixture into the Jar
Seal the Jar fairly tight
Let the contents sit for at least 5 hours. I usually wait 8 to get larger crystals

Now that you know how to make crystals you can experiment on your own creations on other projects. The best items to use that crystals will stick to are the plaster of paris, pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks (with mogpog glue)

Step 5: Admire

Congrats! You PATIENTLY waited those long hours and you now have a sparkly rock!
We personally put in a surprise gift in ours to make breaking them even more exciting.
Wouldn't these make for amazing mothers day gifts?!
But on to the next step so we can learn how to seal these beauties~

Step 6: Wrapping Up

In the last step we will be closing the two halves of the eggs together to make one whole egg. This Step can be tricky but here is the best way to do it.

Recreate your mixture in step 1, it can be a different color if you want.
Gently put the two halves of your crystal shells next to each other and spread a thick amount of paste in the open crevice between them.
Let dry for 30 minutes
Recreate your mixture in step 1 (as the previous has probably dried up by now, sorry)
Spread the mixture evenly over the entire egg. You can best smoothen the surface by using your fingers
Let dry

Step 7: Congrats! You Now Have a Rare Basilisk EGG!

You have now completed all the steps and have a beautiful egg! For best results, try not to crack the egg for 3 days. If you crack it to soon it tends to smoosh vrs shatter because the plaster has not had enough time to completely dry.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!