“Hands On”
Activities
Listed
below are some activities that might be used as “hands-on” type where the
students are actively involved in the science. Access the hyperlinks for
additional information and writeups.
A simple lab on the
exothermic nature of the dissolving of calcium chloride in water. It can be applied to the idea of hot and cold
packs (ammonium nitrate is cold by the way).
Students can work in small groups.
Adapt the handout for your needs.
Using the Hach drop titration it is easy for the
students to understand what hard water is and to determine the hardness of
different water samples
Students can work in small groups.
This is the classic demo that I have used to
demonstrate the scientific method with all ages. There are written instructions on this. This is probably best done as a teacher led
activity with students participating.
·
Electrical Conductivity
The concept of electrolytes is introduced using a
simple battery operated system that is much safer that using 110 volts from a
wall outlet. Various solutions are
tested to see if they conduct electricity.
This system also allows the use of solid conductors and nonconductors so
that students can see the similarities and differences between metallic
conduction and solution conduction.
Posters explaining the basic concepts are available. Since there is only one apparatus this is
also best done as a teacher led, student participation. Anyone want to build a couple more?
See why various candy bars float and sink.
·
Slime
We use polyvinyl alcohol and sodium borate for this
classic experiment.
Why are diapers so water absorbent? It’s poly sodium
acrylate.
·
Bubbles
Not recommended for lower grades. Students tend to
ingest the soap solution. Great demo though.
Many other experiment/demonstration books are available in my office and in the chem library. There is no end to the experiments that you can do! We will try to keep classroom “hands-on” activities simple and inexpensive.