Avoiding lab safety rules will not give you super powers. The lesson opens with a demonstration of not following safety rules. Then, young chemists practice their lab safety while finding the mass of each item in a mixture and trying to...

What are the different ways to test for pH? First, scholars explore the pH scale and a common way to test for acidity and alkalinity. Then, they learn about the importance of pH in food safety and why variance in pH could potentially...

Scholars use a lab simulation to test contaminated yogurt for bacteria by gram staining. They learn proper lab procedures for handling bacteria and for sterilizing equipment, and then walk through the process on their own to try gram...

Mirror, mirror, on the wall ... who's the best chemistry teacher of them all? You'll get the vote for certain after your class completes the Silver Mirror experiment! Partnered pupils use Tollen's reagent and glucose to silverplate a...

Equip learners with safety knowledge in the case of an earthquake. After coloring the places to go to get help after a quake, and label places that wouldn't be safe to go after a quake, young geologists simulate three levels of...

Teach the class how to use a microscope to identify bacteria in food. Scholars explore the different parts of the microscope and learn how to determine total magnification. They walk step-by-step through the procedure of preparing slides...

Engage young scientists in the upper-elementary and middle school grades with this collection of simple experiments. Whether you're teaching about heat transfer, density, or potential energy this resource has a lab for you.

Immerse your chemistry class in the world of organic chemistry! Science scholars isolate acetaminophen from an over-the-counter sample during an intense and interesting lab. Groups use many different separation and analysis techniques to...

How can removing water change the color of a substance? Lab partners remove the water of crystallization from hydrated copper (II) sulfate, record their observations, then rehydrate the solid. The resource is printable and contains ideas...

How do green plastics reduce waste and environmental pollution? Budding scientists create and test a variety of compounds used in green plastics during an insightful experiment. Beginning with startling statistics and ending with...

A demonstration of elephant toothpaste hooks pupils' interest as they complete multiple experiments with colors, smells, bubbles, and more. By the end, they understand the differences between physical and chemical changes in the world...

Lead your biology class on a cell-sized adventure! Emerging scientists construct models of prokaryotes, then design an experiment to properly grow a bacterial culture. They conclude the activity by viewing the culture under a microscope....

Help! Someone's trying to take my DNA! An interesting lab experiment has scholars use basic materials to extract DNA. By applying ethanol, cold water, and a protease enzyme, like pineapple juice, they pull strands of DNA from peas,...

With rising oil prices and increasing concerns over global warming, the pressure is on for engineers to develop alternative sources of energy. Among the new technologies being developed are hydrogen fuel cells, which young scientists...

Watch as acids and bases put smiles on their faces. Young chemists learn the concept of acid-base titration firsthand in a microscale experiment. Working groups collaborate, titrate, then use their data to determine the concentration of...

Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate? Young scientists observe the evaporation rate of three different liquids. They measure the time, the temperature, and the change in energy. After comparing the chemical formulas, scholars...

Scientists can't observe bonds breaking or forming, so how do they distinguish between exothermic and endothermic reactions? Young scholars complete two experiments to do just that. They monitor temperature change and calculate the...

Sometimes the simplest experiments leave the biggest impression! Introduce young chemists to the Cartesian Diver by having them make one of their own. Use the Diver to further their study of liquids and gases, as well as compression.

Lost an electron? You should keep an ion them. Young chemists learn qualitative analysis in the second lesson of an 11-part chemistry series. After observing reactions of simple salts, the teacher provides pupils with unknown...

Stephen Perry invented and patented the modern rubber band in 1845. Young scientists put his discovery to work as they use rubber bands to observe entropy and enthalpy. They determine the change in free energy to figure out if it...

Middle schoolers use the scientific method to discover the role of a candle's wick and how radiation allows candle wax to change from solid to liquid to gas. They work in small groups to use the steps of the scientific method approach in...