Molecules and atoms with Geeky Mom Meeting 1
I like to start the year of Homeschool Science Club with these basic meetings about atoms and molecules. This is usually done in 2 meetings, and can be about 45 minutes long. My meetings are meant for K to 4th graders. Since this is a club and not a class room, I like it to be experiment based with videos that the kids can watch and reading books are an option too.
Meeting 1
Activity 1 Build a model of an atom.
Paper, markers, small green, yellow and red items (5 of each color for each child) glue
Ask the children "What is an atom?" and let them tell you wht they might know about atoms.
We have a discussion that a long time ago scientist wondered “what is the smallest thing that you can have? If you take something and keep splitting it and splitting it, what is the smallest piece there is?
The answer is an atom.
1. Explain to the children that an atom contains 3 parts. In the center or the nucleus is the protons( green, posotive) and neutrons (yellow, nuetral)) and in the outer cloud is the electrons(red, negative.). Give each child a piece of paper and have them glue a green proton (candy, small paper circle) item and a yellow neutron in the center and that will be your nucleus.
2. Then draw a circle around the nucleus and glue a red marker for an electron in the cloud. Tell the children that they have just made a Hydrogen atom (H). Hydrogen is the MOST abundant atom in the universe and the sun is made of hydrogen!!!
3. Then have them add another yellow and green in the nucleus, draw a circle for the cloud and glue a red on it and tell them them that they just made a Helium (He) atom, and again a red, yellow and green for a Lithium (Li) atom, then a red, yellow and green again for a beryllium (Be) and then again for a Boron (B).
4. Make sure that they make a key explaining the 3 different colors and set aside to let dry..
It is important to use the word over and over as much as possible nucleus, electron, proton, neutron and cloud. When you regularly use these words it will help the children to recall them. Remind them that every atom is different because of how many neutrons and protons are in the nucleus.
5. Ask the children again "What is a atom?"
FUN FACT... If the nucleus was the size of a soccer ball, the cloud would be about the size of a stadium
Activity 2 States of Matter
Ice, really hot water (USE CAUTION :)) water and cups, balloon
Here we will describe to the children the 3 (well really 4) states of matter.
Everything is made of matter!!! You, the table, the water we drink and the air we breath.
1. First ask the children " Do you know what matter is?" and "Do you know what the 4 states of matter is?" Then take Ice cubes and pass them around and have the children observe and feel the ice, have them tell you about it. Hard, solid, cold. Have them tell you the different things around them that is solid.
2. Then pass around water in a cup, have them observe that the water moves around freely and will fit into any container you put it in. Try to let them have opportunities to splash around water. It does not come in one shape. Really try to let them observe and play with is.
3. Have some water heated on the stove top or microwave, a parent volunteer is very helpful here, they can reheat water. REMIND the children to be very careful, for hot steamy water burns, but try to give them the opportunity to feel the steam. You can blow up a balloon and show how the balloon holds the gas and you can even use your breath to show how you can move the balloon like wind. Just because we can not see it, does not mean it is not there!
The air we breath is mostly nitrogen and then oxygen and a small amount of other elements. You can
4. The 4th state of matter is the most abundant in the universe but the least talked about! Ask them if they know what it is? The sun!!! The sun is made of electrically charged plasma and it is the most abundant of the states of matter!
5. If you have time I highly recommend reading to your group
Building Blocks of Science Matter and its properties By Midthun
Activity 3
Large Marshmallows, food color, paper plates, tooth picks, microwave
In this activity we explore what heat does to atoms. You can also just do Peeps with this activity, but I have found through the years one thing to be true, KIDS LOVE THIS ACTIVITY!
1. When we start this activity I want my little children to pretend that they are atoms, cold atoms and cold little atom children hardly move at all. But then they begin to warm up and my warm atom children begin moving a little more back and forth, then instruct them to warm up even more and move even more. Eventually they are boiling and when they are boiling they are moving their atom bodies wildly in their seats! As atoms heat up atoms move more and more and more. Children LOVE this Kinetic form of learning!
2. Then I give each child a plate (personally, I prefer paper, easy to clean up), a marshmallow and some toothpicks. In the middle of the table on a plate I have a drops of food color on a plate. The children use the tips of the toothpicks in the food color to make pictures on their marshmallows.
3. Then we take them and their marshmallow on a plate and we put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. I make sure that I have already put a stool under the microwave so that they can watch what happens. I guide them in programming the microwave and stand back and watch as they hit start!
4. As the microwave heats up the marshmallow, the atoms inside the microwave heat up and begin to move rapidly, bouncing against each other and causing the marshmallow to expand. The art that they draw expands and I have yet to meet a child that does not get giddy form watching their marshmallow expand!
5. After the time is up they get to devour their hot melted marshmallow! This is probably the best part! YUMMY! I f you just so happen to go a little to long, it reminds you of a Lucky Charms candy ;) I give them a few more tries at this experiment!!!
6. But if you are in Peeps season, Kids love to watch their little chicks grow large, or their pumpkins or trees! I heard that if you take 2 Peep chicks and place them facing each other with toothpicks in their mouths it will look like they are sword fighting. I have tried, but never succeeded.
Activity 4 The GREAT Mentos Experiment
Children sure do love EXPLOSIONS! A simple experiment that I really do not think that the kids care much about the science and just love to watch things explode and spew! Well, so do I, so my little guys are a very lucky bunch ;)
Simple supply list: Mentos and Diet coke
1. We took this outside!!!
2. Take a bottle of diet coke and add Mentos and stand back!
3. Be prepared for a quick geyser of an explosion!
Please feel free to go to http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/original-mentos-diet-coke-geyser
for a really good description of how it works!
By the end of the experiments, the kids always seem tired! But it has been a fulfilling afternoon. It opens their eyes to so many fun ideas and concepts. What I love about experiment based learning is that they learn intuitively what happens and I have found that this simply lasts longer in their memory than some book and lecture! SO get out and enjoy. Be the change that you want to see happen!
Also there is a really fun video in elements you could show them. It is a song by They might be Giants called"Meet the Elements"
Also there is a really fun video in elements you could show them. It is a song by They might be Giants called"Meet the Elements"
Please let me know if you enjoyed these experiments or if you have any ideas you would love to share! questions or join us on Facebook at my page Geeky Moms Science CLub
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