Teacher Demo: Potato Candle

In this demonstration, a peeled potato is cut into the form of a candle and an almond slice is used as the candle’s “wick.” The teacher lights the almond slice on fire and it burns. The students see the object, and make observations about it. Then the teacher blows...

Teacher Demo: The Importance of Safety Goggles

Although all students know that it is essential to wear safety goggles during many science investigations, it can be helpful to provide a powerful demonstration showing why this is so important. This quick and easy demonstration can illustrate the necessity of...

Student Activity: Periodic Patterns

This demonstration emphasizes how we can make predictions based on patterns. A jigsaw puzzle is used as an analogy for the periodic table. Just as Mendeleev left gaps in his original periodic table, gaps are left in this jigsaw puzzle and just as he hypothesized the...

Rusty Iron Ball Demonstration

This is a Thermite reaction that can be done safely indoors. The rust (Fe2O3) reacts with the aluminum foil (Al) to produce aluminum oxide (Al2O3), elemental iron (Fe) and heat. This reaction is a highly exothermic, single replacement reaction. Aluminum is oxidized...
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