This kit from National Geographic has everything you need to grow a crystal garden — need we say more? Probably not, because fast-growing, colorful crystal trees speak for themselves, but we will go ahead and tell you why this is such a cool STEM kit. 

This crystal garden kit comes with enough materials to grow three crystal trees in just 6 hours. Use the five different watercolor markers to color the tree boards and the crystals will absorb the ink as they grow, creating unique multicolored trees in the shape of an evergreen or cherry tree. Kids will learn about the crystallization process and physical properties of different states of matter as they watch their crystal trees grow. It's an art project and science experiment in one! 

National Geographic's Crystal Growing Garden kit is on sale right now at Target for $8.39. Earlier this week, the kit was selling at Amazon for $16.99 and it was retailing at Target for $11.99. So, the current deal is the best deal we've seen for this kit. 

This kit also comes with a short learning guide with facts about crystals and a real geode full of crystals. Kids can read about crystallization and experience cracking open a geode as they wait for their crystal trees to grow. 

National Geographic Crystal Growing Garden: $11.99 $8.39 at Target

Kids can learn about the crystallization process and physical properties of different states of matter as they watch their crystal trees grow. The branches begin to sprout in minutes though an entire cherry or evergreen tree will take 6 hours to complete. Kids can use one of five watercolor pens to give their trees a fun hue as they grow. The kit also comes with a real geode, with crystal inside.

The trees grow to about 6 inches tall, so kids won't need a lot of room for this activity, but you'll want them to use a surface that you don't mind getting a little wet or messy. The kit comes with detailed instructions, but here are the general steps: 

First, kids will use the watercolor markers to color the white tree templates. Reviewers mentioned they also used crayons with equal success, so there's potential to make the trees even more colorful, if desired. 

Next, assemble the colored trees on one of the small plastic growing trays. For the best crystal growth, make sure the branches of the trees are spaced apart and gently bend and twist some of them so they lay at different angles. Once the tree is assembled and in place, slowly pour the crystal growing liquid over the tree. Be sure to saturate the entire tree with the crystal growing liquid so that crystals grow everywhere and no spots are left open. 

The crystals will begin to grow within minutes and the trees will be in full crystal bloom within 6 hours. The crystals that grow are beautiful but very delicate, so it's best to grow the trees on a surface where you can leave them for a while to enjoy the beautiful colors and shapes. If the crystals begin to fall off, you can regrow them by putting them back in the plastic growing tray and adding a small amount of water to the bottom of the tray. 

A special thing about this kit is that it comes with a guidebook with fun facts about crystals and it includes a real geode full of crystals. So, even after growing the crystal trees, kids can continue to learn about and appreciate crystals in nature. 

Make sure to check out Live Science's guide to more Cyber Monday science kit deals for 2021 and our roundup of the best Cyber Monday National Geographic science kit deals.

Originally published on Live Science. 

National Geographic Crystal Growing Garden: $11.99 $8.39 at Target

Kids can learn about the crystallization process and physical properties of different states of matter as they watch their crystal trees grow. The branches begin to sprout in minutes though an entire cherry or evergreen tree will take 6 hours to complete. Kids can use one of five watercolor pens to give their trees a fun hue as they grow. The kit also comes with a real geode, with crystal inside.