Children’s Discovery Museum – National Chemistry Week Oct. 18-24th
Hands-On Stations:
Pulse jar
(heat from hand boils liquid under low pressure)
waterlock (sodium polyacrylate)& magazine article
(bring small bag of potting soil with ‘wetting agent’; top hat)
Ghost crystals – larger crystals of polymer
Lycopodium powder – oil & water in flask to show layers
graduated cylinder of mercury, water, oil
Separatory funnel with oil and water and ring stand
flip over purple wheel
Happy & Sad balls (isomers)
one ball bounces and the other one doesn’t (molecular models to show structures)
Cartesian divers - pop bottle, eye dropper, food coloring, hot glue gun
Erlenmeyer flasks with KI & Pb(NO3)2
Conservation of matter (weigh before and after – yellow color)
need to bring an electronic balance and waste jar
bring 25 set-ups of small Erlenmeyer flasks with test tube inside
Remson Reaction
Round bottom flask, phenolphthalein, nitric acid, pennies, tall form beaker
neodynium magnet with sand/iron filings (paper clips, copper pennies, aluminum foil)
separate a mixture
bowling ball in tank with diet & regular pop, fish tank
density of objects, density blocks and density cylinders
jar of lead shot and jar of copper BB’s, Orbitz drink, Helium balloon, centrifuge (dirty water)
Potato clock
Copper coated quarter – electroplate with power supply (or 9 volt battery)
Tesla coil, fluorescent light bulb, cathode ray tubes
show flow of electrons
spectroscopes – emission spectra (bring chart of emission spectra of elements)
unique electron arrangement of each element
liquid nitrogen – demo dewar , balloons, tea kettle
bring Galilean thermometer, fresh flowers, glass rods to boil
dry ice – universal indicator, NaOH, inflate balloons
(need funnels, NaOH pellets, universal indicator, tray to catch overflow, carboy of water)
thermal gloves
copper chloride + iron filings, Alchemist dream – gold pennies (150 pennies), hot plate (tongs)
Luminol – pour down funnel to show glowing, bring prop of alien mask
Caution tape, muppets dolls, tongs,
Slime, gluep, Big Batch with funnel
PVA, elmers glue (gallon), borax (sodium tetraborate)
small batches to be made by students (add color to borax so only cross-linked parts will have color)
small ziploc bags to give to children & wooden sticks to mix
Water glass – crystals will dilute and underground crystals
Electrolytes – light bulb , (acid, salt, sugar, pure water)
Melted sodium metal in oxygen gas (sodium oxide produced)
Underwater fireworks (calcium carbide & chlorine gas)
blast shield
Document camera and laptop computer
Sodium pellets in water with phenolphthalein
Table with element samples & periodic table
other versions of table design
Bring large 4’x8’ periodic table for display behind teachers.
Print PowerPoint slides in color & laminate for explanations
Mike Roller – Chemistry Teacher at Normal Community High School
Jeff Christopherson - Chemistry Teacher at Normal Community High School
Dr. Marge Jones – Illinois State University Chemistry Professor
Bradley Professors
May want to contact Bloomingtom High School Teachers, Morton, Bradley Group
Offer extra credit for students to help or answer questions.