Question: If you were an illustrator of the movie “Frozen,” what type of crystals would be your inspiration? Before you begin you have to study crystals under your Foldscope. (This will be an ongoing project of many blogs so check back for the full experience!)

6-year-old: First I studied ice pellets from a winter storm. They were round in shape and sparkly.

How did you make your slide? I did not make a slide. Mommy and I dumped the ice pellets inside of the Foldscope!

Were the ice pellets clear all the way through? NO. They kind of looked like a fossil – maybe one from a dinosaur.

Here is a sketch of what I saw:

Please click here for a video of the ice pellet pictures and to watch them melt: http://video214.com/play/azUzLOY3scwc9JXU1gY81w/s/dark

What did you study next? I studied salt crystals. I will call these “salt #1.”

How did you make your slide? I made a cold solution of salt mixed with water. Then I put two drops of the salt water on to the middle of my slide. We had to wait overnight for the crystals to form and dry completely. But then we waited a little bit longer just to make sure it was dry before checking them out under the Foldscope.

Did you use a cover slip? No.

What did they look like? They looked nothing like the ice pellets. The ice pellets were round shaped but these were kind of square. In most places it was bumpy, but in a few places it was smooth.

Here is a sketch of what I saw:

Please click here for a video of the “salt #1” pictures: http://video214.com/play/K3HlW1BCjSjNVfuCFj7Uyw/s/dark