Fun and learning guaranteed: Beginning Chemistry

Duration: Mixture activity – 15 minutes. Ice cream chemistry activity – 20 minutes.

Materials Needed: Mixture Activity – small pieces of snack items such as m&m’s, raisins, popcorn or nuts. Ice Cream Chemistry Activity – plastic zip-lock bags, ice, vanilla flavoring, milk and salt. Serving napkins, cups, spoons, and clean-up supplies needed.

Difficulty: 3/5 – Reliable activity which requires some instructor coordination.

Recommended steps:

1. Outline the information on page one, having students read. Explain the difference between atoms and molecules, and how elements are organized in the periodic table.
2. Explain the organization in the periodic table, and what the letters and numbers mean. Ask the kids to find certain “letters”, and have them guess what the letters could stand for. Point out some elements which are involved with daily life.
3. Do mixture activity, by giving kids small amounts of food items and having them “mix” them up. Explain the distinction that the components of a mixture can be separated from the whole (just as they can pick out the parts of their mixture), while the parts of a solution cannot.
4. Explain freezing point and freezing point depression. Have kids read aloud materials list and instructions for making ice cream. Then have them write the steps in their own words.
5. Do ice cream activity, organizing kids into (recommended) groups of 2-4. After combining materials per instructions, have kids take turns shaking the bag, until ice cream attains the texture of soft serve.
6. While kids eat, reflect on observation questions.

Making of ice cream solution.

Students at Barnsley Elementary shake their ice cream solution.

Students at Barnsley Elementary explain freezing point while making ice cream.

This session plan has been a resounding success! While mixing the ingredients to create the greatest taste can be challenging, conducting this session has been rewarding elementary and high school students alike.

Duration: DNA replication activity – 15 minutes. Genetics simulation – 20 minutes.

Materials Needed: DNA replication activity – gummy bears or gummy worms (in 4 different colors) and pull-apart twizzlers. Genetics Activity – colored paper and pencils.

Difficulty: 4/5 – Reliable activity with advanced content – requires teacher explanation using information contained in session plan.

Recommended steps:

1. Outline the information on page one, explaining the makeup of DNA, and what its code letters A, C, G, and T mean. Have kids take turns reading, while instructors periodically explain.

2. Demonstrate to the students how DNA is replicated, with the twizzlers and gummy worms according to the four steps. First, create the DNA model by making  the sides of a “ladder” with two strands of twizzlers, and the rungs with the gummy worms. Each color corresponds to a letter (A, C, G, or T) in the genetic code.

3. Then, do step one of replication, breaking apart the bonded gummy worms. Step two is to match up corresponding colors of gummy worms, or letters, to the broken bonds. Step three is the “checking” of the bonds, to ensure that all letters are paired “A-T”, “C-G’. Step four is to “seal” the two strands of DNA (with new pieces of twizzlers).

4. Have the kids create their own DNA models, recording the letters of their genetic “code” based on the colors of their gummy worms. Then, walk the kids through the steps again, helping them understand how DNA replication works.

5. When finished, kids will most likely consume the candy. Begin explaining page two, about genetics and traits.

6. Help kids define genotype and phenotype.

7. Demonstrate how Punnet Squares are used to determine the probablity of offspring possessing certain characteristics.

8. Assign each student a genotype for their frog, having them draw it with spots or no spots. Then, have them use punnet squares to “mate” their frog with another students’ and predict whether offspring will have spots or no spots.

Student tells about replication of DNA

Student shows resultant unspotted "ss" frog

Rockwell KAST students work on their frog punnet squares

Duration: Cell Activity – 20 minutes. Preparation for simulation – 15 minutes. Actual simulation should be taken home and observed over course of 7 days.

Materials Needed: Cell Activity – variety of candy (or other materials) resembling cell organelles. Recommended items: twizzlers – endoplasmic reticulum; half orange – nucleus; gelatin – cytoplasm; different color gelatin – vacuole; casing – cell wall; plastic wrap – cell membrane; nerds candy – ribosomes; orange gummies – mitochondira; green gummies – chloroplast. Cell Membrane Activity – small paper cups, gelatin (enough to fill each cup with 1 inch layer, two types of moisturizing cream, toothpicks, ruler – for measuring).

Difficulty: 3/5 – Very reliable activity which requires moderate instructor coordination.

Recommended steps:

1. Introduce the parts of the cell by having kids take turns reading aloud. Then “quiz” the kids by describing an organelle and having them find it in the diagram and name it.

2. Explain how cells are organized in organisms.

3. Explain the building of the cell model. Recommended – make one model for every 8-10 kids. Preparation: prepare the gelatin at least several hours before the session, and set in the container with membrane that represents the cell wall and cell membrane. If consumption is planned, be sure to have kids wash hands first.

4. Give each student some candy, representing a cell organelle, and have them add it to the model.

5. Optional – allow kids to consume the model as a snack, with serving cups and spoons.

6. After modeling activity, turn to second page and explain how the cell membrane works. In this formal “laboratory investigation”, have kids write down their “hypothesis” for effect of moisturizing cream on thickness of gelatin. Have students write their procedure, and before leaving give them their cup of gelatin with one type of moisturizing cream spread on half of the surface.

7. Instruct students to measure the thickness of the gelatin by gently poking and withdrawing the toothpick in the gelatin, and measuring the thickness. Record results in table.

Cell Model I

Students work on cell model

Cell Model II

April 2010 – With initial funding assistance from global youth social entrepreneurship network Youth Venture, KAST launched its first afterschool science program.   

The KAST core team would like to express its immense gratitude for the continued support and indefinite assistance Learn Serve International and Youth Venture have provided.