Kids & Chemistry experiences

[Previous Community Member]

Hi Bob,

Glad to hear from you. We'd be interested in hearing more about your activity and wonder if you could share some pix with us. Partnering is always a good idea to leverage resources and interest. We hope you can attend the workshop and pls stop by our Office of Public Affairs booth (#1521) at the Expo. We look forward to meeting you.

[k_lindblom]

Hi Robert!  Glad to hear you'll be joining us at the National Meeting.  Would you mind resending your RSVP for the "Be a Chemistry Ambassador Through Kids & Chemistry" workshop to me at k_lindblom@acs.org?  I haven't received any messages in my inbox from you.

Thanks, and we'll see you next month!

[PattiGalvan]

You may be interested in attending the Planning Science Events for Kids workshop which will be part of the undergraduate program. We will not be checking student ID's at the door, so anyone registered for the meeting can attend.

The point of this workshop is to provide a couple of solid and adaptable ideas on how to make the most of demo shows so that they are a great teaching and learning opportunity. This could help you with your hands-on demos.

Planning Science Events for Kids
Sunday, August 16
Capitol Hilton Hotel, Congressional Room
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The ACS K-8 Education Program and the Committee on Community Activities invite you to discover how science outreach can pair with the power of theater and literature to create fun and educational experiences for kids. Watch a live show complete with demos, audience participation, and actual kids! Then go backstage with the presenters to learn how you can use this model to add drama to your demo shows. Harry Potter will also be on hand to help you get started on the brainstorming process of creating hands-on activities for the 2009 Chemvention Competition. This year’s theme: Behind the Scenes with Chemistry – The chemistry behind the "magic" and mystery of TV and movies. The winner and 3 finalists will be awarded travel $$$ towards travel to the next National Meeting!

Also...we're looking for children between the ages of 4 and 11 to participate in the live show. It will really help to see the real deal and then use that as a reference point when we talk about ways to make the most out of demos. So if you are bringing your 4-11 year old children to the meeting, please bring them to see this 30 minute play. It would be best if the children arrive at 10:45 and leave at 11:30 am. That's the portion of the program they will really enjoy. 

I look forward to meeting all of you and learning about what you do to share your love and knowledge of science with children.

[robertuit]

Patti, Thanks for the invitation. I'm getting squeezed on time, but I have it on my calendar. Bob

[PattiGalvan]

I understand how that goes! It's going to be a fun and I hope very useful workshop. Three or 4 CL awards is pretty impressive. It sounds like you already have quite a bit of experience sharing science with kids. That's one thing I always enjoy about the meetings...talking with people who do such neat things to get kids to really love and understand science.

[DonivanPorterfie]

Some years ago I saw a demonstration in which two large iron balls (e.g. about 3 inch) were rolled to strike each other with a good amount of fource.  Most such head on strikes generating a sound & light.  One of the intents of the demonstration was to show that the kinetic energy of the balls could be converted into other forms of energy directly.  In that specific instance the iron balls used were acquired from a cement plant for which they were used to grind down rock - they were used and presumably smaller than original.

I've spoken to a vendor about getting some new such iron balls.  My recollection is that carbon steel balls worked better than other alloys such as stainless steel.  I presume that some surface oxidation (rust) helped the process.  Does anyone have any additional specifics on this demo that could assist me in getting the optimum item from this vendor?

[ribotto]

I've never heard of that one but it sounds cool! Yes I think carbon steel would work best. I know the kind of balls you are referring to. Don't know where you could get any but a pair of Civil War cannon balls should work. I've got some from Virginia and Gettysburg. I'll try banging a couple 6-pounders together. Hopefully no explosives inside!

Bob

[ribotto]

We had a very busy Kids & Chemistry year in our Section, particularly December! In December I put on a Chemical Magic Show for 400 kids at Nottingham Middle School in Dayton, Tx and then helped one of our coordinators do hands-on experiments using the Chemistry's Rainbow kit for 250 kids in Mont Belvieu Intermediate. It was an all day event. We also used the same kit for the 4th and 6th grades at Baytown Christian Academy in Baytown. I'm retired now from ExxonMobil but I'm still coordinating the Kids & Chemistry in our Section and I've got a part time assignment with ExxonMobil Public Affairs to help support our school Science Ambassadors with Kids & Chemistry activities. Here is a photo from the Nottingham show. Happy New Year to you all!

[Loralee]

I've posted several simple science experiments for children at www.candyexperiments.com.  These experiments give instructions on how to do things like test candy for acid using baking soda, test candy for oil, find bubbles in dissolving Pop Rocks, and make a Skittles density rainbow.  Children love dissolving, stirring, and playing with colors as they experiment, and parents love pouring all that candy down the drain.

Hope you enjoy sharing candy experiments with kids!

Loralee

loralee@candyexperiments.com

[ribotto]

Here is my Kids & Chemistry Report for 2010. I don't think all of my volunteers responded to my request for a summary of their activities so I'm sure even more activities were held. Even so we had a busy year here in the Greater Houston Section.