Spring SAVY 2018, Day 5- It’s Elemental (1st/2nd)
Well it is almost the end of It’s Elemental and we are ending with lots of energy and excitement. This week we learned about different groups on our periodic table such as alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, or noble gases. We then adopted an element. We read a short page that focused on elemental properties, how it is used, and where we could find it in the world. Students gave some great presentations where we learnt that Potassium is abundant in the Earth’s crust and bananas, and Mercury, when bound to carbon and hydrogen, is a neurotoxin that gave the Mad Hatter from Alice and Wonderland his name. Next we made a giant mess and had a great time identifying chemical reactions. We observed color changes when mixing together phenol red and baking soda, and bubble formation when mixing together bicarbonate and vinegar. You can practice identifying chemical reactions at home by completing different reactions between baking soda, vinegar, and a pH indicator of your choice. Here are some ways to make pH indicators at home. Ask your children what you should be looking for to identify if a chemical reaction is occurring. Next week in It’s Elemental, we will be taking a trip to a chemistry lab at Vanderbilt and seeing some of the equipment they use every day. Then students will get to show off some of their activities at open house.