In this activity, students will compare two methods of oil spill cleanup: biological and physical. Applying both a special blend of oil degrading microbes and a hydrocarbon encapsulating polymer to oil and examining the results, students will draw conclusions with regard to the effectiveness of each approach. The kit includes a specially prepared stained vegetable oil to simulate crude oil, eliminating any of the hazards and associated disposal costs of the real thing while still allowing the students to perform the procedures using real oil. Kit contains enough materials for 15 groups. Teacher’s Manual and Student Study Guide copymasters are included.
During the nineteenth century, a Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, began constructing a table of the elements. The work of Mendeleev allows us to understand that the periodic table of the elements is an organized classification of chemical elements based on certain properties of each element in relation to other elements. In this lab students will learn about three different categories of elements – metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. They will examine the physical properties of several elements, test the chemical reactivity of each element and classify each of the tested elements as either metal, nonmetal, or metalloid. This kit contains enough material for 15 groups. Teacher’s Manual and Student Study Guide copymasters are included
Teacher leads a class discussion about polymers and their importance in our everyday lives (specifically plastics). After the discussion students will be able to make two different polymers – worms and slime. The activity contains enough materials for 6 groups of students.
Allow students to learn about polymers and cross-linking using this fun and colorful activity. Students add a solution of sodium alginate to three calcium chloride solutions, each containing a different fluorescent dye. After a few minutes the liquid sodium alginate solution forms into gel-like polymer “worms.” Upon completion of the activity, the worms may be placed under a black light and the students will observe their worms glow red, blue, and green. Contains enough material to make several dozen polymer worms.
Aspirin is to this day the most widely used painkiller and largest selling non-prescription medicine in the world. Learn about the history of the development acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and test the performance of several different types of aspirin. Students will examine the solubility of aspirin in varying gastrointestinal environments, a comparison of active ingredients in regular and extra-strength aspirin, and the differences between regular and buffered aspirin
This kit has been designed to introduce young students (K-4) to the concepts of matter in a fun, safe, hands-on way. Students are given samples of both a solid and a liquid so that they can perform some simple experiments that demonstrate the differences. The students are then given a sample of “Our Friend Ooblek” (a non-Newtonian fluid) to use in the same experiments and are asked to determine if Oobleck is a solid or a liquid. This kit contains everything needed for 30 students to perform the experiments, while working in groups of 3.
Though similar in function, soaps and detergents differ in chemistry and performance. Students will examine the similarities and differences in the properties of soap, hand dishwashing detergent, and machine dishwashing detergent, all provided in the kit. Activities include testing pH, examining the effect of soap and detergent on the surface tension of water, foaming ability, fat emulsification, and the performance of soap and detergent in hard water.
The history of teeth cleaning agents actually goes back thousands of years. Toothpaste as we know it today however is a comparatively recent development. In this activity, students will investigate several properties of toothpaste samples, provided in the kit, including presence of fluoride, pH, abrasiveness, and foaming ability. As a second activity, students will use the included materials to create their own toothpaste. Teacher’s Manual and Student Study Guide copymasters included.
In this lab you will learn the history of the discovery of DNA and DNA structure. Understand the nature of genetic inheritance and the role of DNA and proteins in genetic expression while using biological detergents, enzymes, and ethanol to isolate DNA from plant material. You need to supply the plant material. There are enough materials for 5 groups.