In this experiment, students explore what happens in a chemical reaction between calcium carbonate (eggshell) and acetic acid (vinegar).

At the end of the experiment, students will understand that in a chemical reaction, the atoms in the starting materials (reactants) rearrange to form new products with different properties but the Conservation of Mass (no loss in mass) is always observed - the fundamental principle of a chemical reaction. A brief introduction to the osmosis process is included too.

This experiment also aligned with 5th Grade's NGSS Physical Science Objective PS1.B Chemical Reactions.

Students explore the fundamentals of how an electrochemical battery works through constructing one using potatoes.

At the end of the experiment, students will learn that an electrochemical battery converts chemical energy to electric energy by means of spontaneous electron transfer. This transfer is facilitated by the potato which contains phosphoric acid acting as an electrolyte for the two metals, allowing the electrons to flow from copper to zinc creating small electric currents. The experiment is expanded to include the concepts of parallel and series circuits as well as the reduction and oxidation processes.

The experiment aligns with Middle School Physical Science Objective MS-PS.1-6 Energy and Matter.

In the experiment, students learn to make chalks from everyday materials such as eggshells and flour instead of buying commercial chalk.

This experiment is a good example of a Green Chemistry experiment whereby all chemicals/materials used such as the eggshell, flour, food colorings are natural and safe. A brief introduction of Green Chemistry is included and students are encouraged to come up with and design their own experiments that do not use commercial chemicals and generate little to no waste.

This experiment examines the properties of matter in order to determine if the oobleck is a solid or liquid.

The three most familiar forms of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. Each of these forms has its distinct properties. For most matters, it is easy to classify them into one of the three forms. However, there are some substances that display properties of two forms of matter. An example is oobleck, which is a non-Newtonian fluid that has properties of both solid and liquid. Students are further challenged to identify other substances that exhibit the same properties as oobleck.

This experiment is aligned with 2nd Grade NGSS Physical Science Objective PS1 Matter and its Interactions.

In the experiment, students learn to extract DNA from common fruits such as strawberries and bananas.

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and it is the carrier of genetic information that is passed down from your parents to you. DNA determines the color of your hair, eyes, your height, and even how your lungs work. Each piece of information is carried in different sections of the DNA called genes. DNA is found in all living things including fruit like strawberries, bananas, or kiwi. It is located in the nucleus of a plant or animal cell. The purpose of each step taken in the extraction process is explained in detail to ensure that students understand the reason for performing those steps. A brief introduction of ploidy in different organisms is included.

This experiment aligns with Middle School Life Science Objective MS-LS1-2 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes.

These experiments are a small sample of the experiments in our science bank. If you need more experiments, please email us at sciyouth@gmail.com to join our network and gain access to our science bank to continue exploring the world of science experimentation.