Teacher Recommended Resources - Chemical Tests

These extensions are brought to you by other teachers who have used this unit. They have not been evaluated by The Einstein Project.   REV. 4/24/08

Find and list household chemicals used at home

Growing crystals at home, make a crystal garden

Made a charcoal garden

Local universities may provide speakers & demonstrations on chemistry

“Simple Chemistry – Hands on – Minds on Science” by Teacher Created Materials

Books: Chemistry for Every Kid - Janice Van Cleave
 Magic School Bus At the Waterworks
 Magic School Bus Ready, Set, Dough!
Big Book – What is It? - Rigby (stresses the concept of properties fits in well with lesson 3)
Read mystery books and did the book review in the appendix of the teacher’s guide
Nature Detective: How to Solve Outdoor Mysteries by Eileen M. Doceka

Made a crazy cake (recipe has vinegar, oil, & water, no eggs)
 Made ice cream

Tours: Enzymatic Therapy & lab
 Water treatment plant & lab
 Sewage treatment plant & lab

Videos: “Magic Schoolbus Gets Baked in a Cake”, “At the Waterworks”,
“Ready, Set, Dough!”

Did the winter art scene project with construction paper and alum & water wash. It was great!

Took a rusty nail/bolt and submerged it in coca-cola for a week. The acid in the soda is really obvious because the rust completely disappears.

At the beginning, write specific descriptions of apples that look alike to get them thinking beyond “Its white” about the chemicals

Website: http://www.bottlebiology.org/investigations/kimchee_explore.html for pH spectrum of red cabbage juice

Dissolved hair in bleach

Used litmus paper with different household chemicals and solutions

Hot chocolate activity, timing and observing the changes to a marshmallow

Bake a cake, see recipe

Used the lessons as an opportunity for deeper understanding of  “physical properties” vs “gross” opinion words