Extraction of Caffeine from Tea Leaves

Here are the materials and procedures needed to extract DNA from banana cells. Once removed from the fruit, molecular biologists prepare a wet mount slide and examine the sample under a microscope. They draw what they observe. This...

Did you know you can make your own pH indicator from plants? The sixth lesson in a seven part series teaches pupils to do just that. They work with the extracts of natural colors from flowers and leaves to observe color changes in...

Discover the chemistry behind the color change in leaves. The lesson narrator describes how trees must recycle nutrients in the leaves before they fall off for the winter. The video breaks down the process and highlights the chemistry of...

Many substances people commonly use today come from plants, such as caffeine, nicotine, and morphine. A video highlights four plants that scientists use for medicine. It explains the way people discover, research, and use them, then goes...

You might want to put down your coffee for this one. Discover the science behind this stimulant, its origins, side-effects, and benefits of the most widely used drug: caffeine.

Many people know cats mark their territories by rubbing the back of their necks to leave a scent, but not many people know beavers also leave a scent to mark their territories. During the first activity of two, scholars use their noses...

Students observe the effects of mining on a mountain.  In this environmental awareness lesson plan, students will be challenged to extract items from a model of a mountain without disturbing the vegetation on the mountain. Students will...

Students extract DNA from green peas. In this DNA extraction lesson plan, students use a blender to chop up peas, they mix them with a little soap, they tenderize them and they mix them with alcohol to see the DNA precipitate through the...

Students isolate and identify a dye, which represents a synthetic pesticide, from plants.

Like good scientists, kids often want to see first-hand why things are as they are; they can do just that in the starch-testing photosynthesis activity found here. Depending on the age of your pupils, you may wish to do the investigation...