Day 8: Chemistry Fun!

Today the students had their first chemistry lesson! In the morning, they familiarized themselves with the periodic table and its elements. They researched various elements on the internet and were able to see how they combine to form compounds, i.e. NaCl = table salt.

Next, they took what they learned and applied it in the chemistry lab. The first lesson was on kitchen chemistry. Students learned about osmosis and the way in which diluted substances permeate through a membrane into more concentrated substances. Using an egg as an example, they saw how its shell fell apart after sitting in vinegar. They also observed how water, the diluted substance, permeated through the egg membrane into the yolk, the concentrated substance. Later, the students learned about capillary action and acids and bases. They tested out different substances and watched as cabbage juice (a particularly effective pH detector) altered the color of each liquid substance.

In the adjacent laboratory, or the “Flubber Research Corp.,” students learned about polymers and how through engineering, they can be applied to perform specific tasks. They first combined water and glue and examined its new consistency. Different shades of food coloring were also added to each polymer. Students then created the first ever “flubber” polymer to be produced in the lab.

Below is a poem written and shared by a 7th grader during activity time:

Math and science

What a joy!

Yet camp will soon to come to an end,

But in this road there is a bend.

We have a graduation

Which we can exchange

Phone numbers, e-mails, and other screen names.

If we can’t, some will be sad,

But they can’t get mad.

There is a meeting day in the fall

So that is my poem,

I hope you enjoyed it all.

-Samantha

Look for more updates tomorrow as the students attend their second field trip to the Maynard Ecology Center in Cambridge, MA.

Have a great evening,

Ivana