Tootsie-Roll Pop Chemistry

A fun and challenging activity for nearly any age group, partners must work together to build the tallest structure possible using paper clips, straws, and pipe cleaners. In addition to being tall, the structure must also be able to...

Lead the class in a colorful exploration of acids and bases as they learn to differentiate between the two. They identify common items considered acidic and basic, then explore their strengths and weaknesses. They titer solutions and...

Using the polluted water that was made in the prior lesson, your young environmentalists will mix pollutants together in an experiment. Then, they will design a water filter that will clean the polluted water to use in the next lesson....

Students work in groups to prepare a brief broadcast or print news report from one of five possible viewpoints about an environmental contamination scenario. Students are given basic information about a chemical spill in a small town and...

Examine the effects of temperature and pressure on solubility and the states of matter of ocean water. Learners make inferences about the unique chemistry of ocean water at different depths. They engage in an activity related to...

Human fingerprint patterns are the result of layers of skin growing at different paces, thus causing the layers to pull on each other forming ridges. Here, groups of learners see how patterns and fingerprints assist scientists in a...

In groups of three with the lights off and the shades drawn, investigators place inactivated light sticks, in three beakers: one filled with ice water, another with lukewarm water, and the other with room temperature water. They wait...

Students design procedures for increasing the popping rate of a set amount of popcorn kernels. They propose and test a "secret" addition to the corn popping procedure which they expect would increase the popping rate and then write lab...

Eighth graders are introduced to the topic of Environmental Chemistry. In groups, they review the steps within the scientific method and develop their own hypothesis and design an experiment. They solve equations related to the...

What makes up the air we breathe? Young scientists explore the atoms and molecules in the air. An interactive lesson allows individuals to watch the movement of the particles in the air and change the makeup from a mixture to a...