2. Stir the water. Describe what happens to the salt.

3. Tie string around the center of a pencil. Set the pencil across the top of the jar. The string should be submerged in the water but should not touch the bottom.

4. Observe over several days. What happens to the water? (It evaporates.)

5. After the water has evaporated, what do you see? (Salt crystals should have formed on the string.) Look at the salt crystals closely, using the hand lens. How are these crystals shaped? (Like cubes.)

6. You may wish to make sugar crystals to compare with the salt crystals. To make the sugar crystals, dissolve 2-6 teaspoons of white sugar in 1/2 cup of water until saturated. Set up the pencil and string the same way.