This time we had a National Geographic Crystal Growing Set and The Original Sea Monkeys Ocean Zoo in our Bandai delivery.  Both sets required a bit of preparation as the results aren’t quite instant!  But good activities to get your children involved in, assuming they can be patient enough!

The Original Sea Monkeys Ocean Zoo

This set just needs 24 hours after you have added the water and packet number 1 (the water purifier).  It’s important to complete the steps properly to give your Sea Monkeys the best chance of hatching!  Then you can open packet number 2 and wait to see your Sea Monkeys hatch.  They do instantly come to life, you might just not notice at first.  We could see a little tiddler swimming around 24 hours after that stage.  But because they are so little it can take three or more days to see them properly.  So don’t panic if you have no sign of Sea Monkey life straight away.

We placed our Ocean Zoo on a windowsill where it would get enough light but not direct sunlight.  This is important as otherwise their water might get too hot.  You want your new pets to be comfortable after all!

In terms of maintenance they are quite easy pets to keep.  You do need to remember to gently stir the water each day for the first four days after you add the first packet.  This makes sure they have enough oxygen.  On day 5 you can feed them some of packet 3 with the included spoon.  Everything is self-explanatory.  It costs £9.99 for The Original Sea Monkeys Ocean Zoo from Argos.  I think the price is very reasonable.

Teaching Responsibility

This is a good way to introduce your children to pet ownership and responsibility.  They can help look after their new pets, feeding when necessary and making sure the Ocean Zoo tank gets topped up with water when it evaporates.  It’s a nice compromise too if your child wants a pet but you don’t have the time and commitment for a dog or cat.  Children will find it quite relaxing watching their little pets swimming around.

I love that the pack also includes more information about Sea Monkeys.  We learnt that they can live in eggs for years only hatching when the conditions are right.  They can grow up to 2cm.  I am hoping they do grow bigger so I can take a proper picture to add to my post.  Currently you really have to squint to see them.

Sea Monkeys are a species of brine shrimp, the company have bred them to cope with the conditions in our homes.  Quite an achievement if you think about it as they would normally be found in salt lakes and salt evaporation flats.

Make sure you don’t overfeed your pets.  Continue to use the small spoon that came with your set.  If the water starts to get cloudy this is a sign that you are overfeeding your Sea Monkeys.

National Geographic Crystal Growing Set

This set takes seven to ten days for the full effect to occur.  I would make sure you supervise your child because of the chemicals involved.  Promptly wash skin if any of the solution spills onto yourself or your children.  I was a little wary with this set given the big WARNING messages on the instructions.  But if you are careful then you have no reason to be alarmed.

Plus its a wonderful scientific experiment your children will enjoy.  I have given up on crystal growing sets before as they were too complicated but this set was easy enough to follow.  The booklet about crystals is very informative.  It’s quite an educational experience, learning what a crystal was, how they are made, what they are used for and an explanation of some of the different types.

There aren’t many stages really, its just about being patient watching the crystals grow.  The boys liked checking every day to see how their crystal was getting on.  Although I don’t think we placed our crystal in the optimum place for it to grow to its full potential.  I think it would have done better in a warmer spot of the house.  Once its in position though its not recommended that you move it because the vibrations can impact its growth.  I will keep my fingers crossed that where it currently resides will be good enough!

I will add a picture when our crystal is ready!  It has a few more days to go yet.  It looks like something is happening…

I promised you an update and here it is 10 days later!

The set is available to buy from Amazon for £14.99.  I like that it also includes a calcite crystal so at the very least you get to add that to your rock collection.  So whatever happens with your experiment you have a memento to keep.  I am feeling quietly confident though.  Mind you I do wish I had added the lid on our jar for the first 24 hours as it is rumored to help the crystals grow bigger.

You might also want to read about our experience with the Mini Dig Kits from Bandai.