This week, I’ll be joining some of my fellow bloggers in presenting chemistry activities. These quick and simple experiments are wonderful for DIYing your own summer camp experience for your children. This DIY Summer Camp is presented by my friend Carla at Preschool Powol Packets. Each week, my fellow mom-teachers and I present activities that can be done at home for art, bug exploration, chemistry, and safari topics. It has been so much fun. I hope that you enjoy this activity with your family.
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In a nutshell, Chemistry is a branch of science that involves the study of the composition, structure, and properties of matter. Nearly everything begins and ends with Chemistry because it is a natural science that seeks to explain the very foundation of all life, atoms. Chemistry breaks down the elements in our world and the interactions that they have with other elements, the reactions, and the new products created by those reactions. This is pretty interesting stuff!
“Like all sciences, chemistry is marked by magic moments. For someone fortunate enough to live such a moment, it is an instant of intense emotion: an immense field of investigation suddenly opens up before you.”
-Yves Chauvin
Homemade Crystals
Materials:
- 1-2 Bags of Epsom Salts
- yarn (preferably), twine, or pipe cleaners
- 8 – 20 oz plastic cups (18oz could also work, but I don’t recommend going any smaller than that).
- 8 – Wooden dowels, craft sticks, or pencils
- Food coloring or paint in red, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, and pink.
- Measuring cup
- Pot
- Water
Directions:
- First prep all cups. Using the yarn, cut 8- 6 in pieces.
- Securely wrap or tie each piece of yarn to the middle of your wooden dowel.
- Place each dowel across the center of your cups. The yarn will dangle in the middle of the cup with one end touching the bottom.
- Using your measuring cup, measure out one cup of water and bring to a boil
- Once the water is at a rolling boil, begin adding in the Epsom salt. It is best to add 1/4-1/2 cup of salt at a time.
- When the solution is thick, meaning it is more of an opaque color and no longer clear, remove from heat.
- Repeat these steps 7 more times, adding color after removing from heat.
- This will yield 8 different color crystals once dry.
- Place all cups in a safe and dry place to remain undisturbed for 3-4 weeks.
- Once all water has evaporated, the crystals are ready.
- You can also try adding other items or decoration bits into the solution such as glitter or sequins to create your own very unique crystals. You could even make them scented!
Additional Activities
This freebie includes:
- Over 10 pages of content
- 10 Quick facts about Chemistry
- Notebooking pages for copywork
- Full manuscript lined pages
- Coloring Pages
Ideal for 1st through 3rd grade, but can be modified for K-8th grade.
Click here to download yours.
Books
- Awesome Science Experiments for Kids by Crustal Chatterton
- DK Eyewitness Books: Chemistry: Discover the Amazing Effect Chemistry Has on Every Part of Our Lives by Ann Newmark
Games and Educational Toys
This is a Chemistry Activity Book as part of our Homeschool Summer Activities Series. This activity book introduces basic concepts of chemistry through hands-on activities. It includes book lists, suggested materials, art projects, reflection questions, word puzzles, copy work, vocabulary, and more.
Included in this unit study, you will find:
- Over 50 pages of content
- A resource list that includes recommended websites, books, documentaries, and more.
- Notebooking pages for copywork
- Soduko Puzzles
- Make a Words
- Word Searches
- Coloring Pages
- and more
Subjects covered include:
- Literature (Reading and Reading Comprehension)
- Language Arts
- Geography
- Science
- Social Studies
- Art
- Math
- Music
- Field Trip Ideas
Ideal for K-8th grade.
Click here to download yours.
Hasta Pronto!
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Hi! I’m Kat aka Mama Dot! Nice to meet you. I’m a homeschooling mom of three boys. By day, I run a mom’s blog (Being Mama Dot) and subscription service (Wombology). In my downtime, I create resources for families homeschooling children of color at Our Learning Curve. I love coffee, reggaeton (music in Spanish), knitting, and reading. My favorite thing to do is to feel my feet in the sand. #beachbum. Currently, I am an MA/Ph.D. student in Africana and Latin American studies. When I am not in school, I spend my days running my online business and taking care of my little ones. Make sure to check out OLC’s Instagram, Twitter, or join us over at Facebook.
I really want to try the growing your own crystals! I always wanted to as a kid but never did (didn’t even get one of those kits). I am saving this for us to try out!
Cool beans! Please let me know how it turns out for you. Make sure to keep the crystals in a dry area of the home. This will make them last longer. 😄