I understand the process, the question is besides sugar and salt, what else can I use that will produce different shapes or colours, and I can find in shops?

Sodium silicate solution and then try Potassium Permanganate etc. Do Thomas Salter Chemistry sets still exist?

Copper sulphate, you can buy it off ebay cheaply enough.

Is this her bedroom?

I’m not googling ‘make my own crystal’…

I want to buy something in shops, this weekend.

qwerty – my bedroom looked like that when I was about 12.

Alum powder is the normal first choice. Cheap on ebay or pick your own on the Isle of Wight!

Washing soda?

Pushing the boundaries here, would melting sulphur and then letting it cool slowly be considered a bit naughty?

Buy some waterglass off amazon/eBay. Use colour crystals (from a kids science/chemistry set) as seed crystals. Add to a jam jar and watch the crystals grow. Check google for a protocol – you may need to dilute the waterglass.

I want to buy something in shops, this weekend.

Copper sulphate can be had from farm supplies, it’s used to give cattle foot baths.

Getting it in quantities less than 25kg sacks might be harder though!

Copper Sulphate is a good one to do, get some pretty good deep blue crystals from it. Had a quick look before recommending and you can buy it on Amazon.

I’ll add the parental supervision blurb before recommending someone give their children chemicals to play with.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Minerals-water-ltd-500g-Copper-Sulphate-Pentahydrate/dp/B00BEE7HBG/ref=sr_1_1/277-0386529-4885438?ie=UTF8&qid=1454667419&sr=8-1&keywords=copper+sulphate

would melting sulphur and then letting it cool slowly be considered a bit naughty?

It’d probably poison the house, and if I can’t get alum crystals where the hell am I going to get elemental sulfur?

I want to buy something in shops, this weekend.

*checks Aldi special buys website for bargains on weapons grade plutonium*

It’d probably poison the house, and if I can’t get alum crystals where the hell am I going to get elemental sulfur?

Do they still do sulphur discs to put in dog water dishes?

I want to buy something in shops, this weekend.

Borax – you can buy it in chinese supermarkets, its what makes sweetcorn soup gloopy.

You can also make crystals with sugar

Instructables will have lots of DIY projects – if you really wanted to throw some shapes Bizmuth would be the most fun but I doubt you could get any in time for the weekend

Melt it, not vaporise it, and sulphur powder was on sale at a garden centre last time I was in one. It’s used against fungus, ISTR.

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/thames-and-kosmos-crystal-growing-kit/585442-1000 I’ve used similar and had good results.

That’s interesting, I thought the EC had a downer on Borax.

Epsom salts and liquid water colours

Science for Kids: Overnight Crystal Garden

That’s interesting, I thought the EC had a downer on Borax.

The US has (as a food additive) but I don’t think the EU has. If you get some, as well as crystals you can make a sort of flubber / silly putty by mixing Borax and PVA. It cheap, safe and you get a lot of it to play with

Aside from Chinese supermarkets some DIY places sell it for use as woodworm treatment

Toys R Us sell crystal growing kits, you might get them at The Range or The Works too.