Homeschool Science: Make Your Own Sea Salt

jessicazornes
2 days ago
2 min read

FROM SEA TO SALT!

Just like my kids, I love salt. After our homeschool lesson on salt though, I have an even greater appreciation for this ancient compound. Learning about its influence in history, its chemistry, and many uses, I now love salt for even more than its flavor.

Our lesson on salt led us to some impressive science experiments and fun explorations, one of which was harvesting our very own sea salt.

While science experiments are a great spark to engage science concepts, being in our sixth year of homeschool, I have had more than a handful of underwhelming results with our experiments.

Hey,that's science though...as I have learned. Rarely the same result twice.

With this homemade sea salt experiment though, I was impressed!

I was sure that we would wind up with a minimal amount of NaCl, and prepared myself with my standard pep-talk, "as long as it produces a little for them to see, I'll be satisfied."

The result was anything but bland!

We had harvested a surplus of salt from less than a gallon of sea water, and it was beautiful!

This is a simple experiment I highly recommend trying, whether you are studying salt, the water cycle, or states of matter, this experiment is a must. The process is a helpful visual aid and produces a result you'll be pleased with.

Get the complete *Salt Lesson Plan, full of learning activities, worksheets, games, and more!***

Homemade Sea Salt

What You'll Need:

1 Gallon of sea water Baking Sheet

Large Pot Parchment paper

Large Bowl Mesh strainer

Coffee filter

Find more ways to explore science with edible kitchen creations!

Check them out HERE.

Let's Make It:

Step 1: Visit the ocean or salt lake. Fill up your gallon container and take it back home.

Step 2: Using a wire strainer lined with a coffee

filter, strain the seawater into the large bowl to

remove any debris or sand.

Step 3: Next, add the strained seawater to a

large pot. Allow the water to boil and evaporate

completely, leaving behind only the salt.

NOTE: The boiling process took around an hour to complete. Once all the water has almost entirely evaporated, stir the salt until the remaining water is gone to avoid burning the salt.