I have two simple chemistry for kids experiments which do not require special equipment. Your kids will also love these 21 Fun Chemistry Homeschool Ideas for Kids.
These science experiments can be done with younger kids, and you need just a few basic household items.
Chemistry can be introduced as early as preschool and learned through high school.
Using simple household items like bleach, vinegar, pennies, and food coloring you can complete a couple of experiments to introduce chemistry to your kids.
Also, John Dalton was an English chemist.
He proposed the theory that all modern chemistry is based on. It is the Atomic Theory of Matter.
I have some free notebooking pages so you can add his life to your study.
Chemistry for Kids Books
First, look at some of these fun books and resources.
For example, Basher Chemistry is an amazing beginning chemistry book and is a particularly great resource for unschoolers and relaxed schoolers.
It is engaging and interesting with funny illustrations alongside great chunks of information.
11 Chemistry Books & Resources for Kids of All Ages
But first here are some resources that are a great introduction and more to chemistry for kids.
Discover fun facts about the greatest scientists from history through Basher's fresh and unique illustration style.
Did you know that Marie Curie used to keep radioactive materials in her pockets? Or that Mendeleyev literally dreamed up his famous periodic table? Superstars of Science tells the stories behind the big ideas in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, mathematics, cosmology, earth sciences, and engineering. Read about 40 great scientists including Newton and Einstein who produced theories that explained the way in which the Universe works, Crick and Watson who uncovered the structure of DNA, and Alexander Graham Bell who had the big idea that became the telephone. Each one of these greats of science has had some vital flash of insight that has changed the way we see the world and the way we live. Come meet the superstars of science!
Discover the secrets of chemistry, and learn about the properties of matter and the ways in which they interact, combine and change. Chemistry is a compelling guide to a community of characters who make up everything around us.
This book is a classic in the field of popular science. Standard reading since the 1930s, it is one of the few histories of chemistry to concentrate on the lives of the great chemists. Through these dramatic and human stories, it gives an authoritative and entertaining account of the great discoveries and advances in this scientific field. After many printings in three previous editions, this book has been newly revised by the author for this fourth edition. Beginning with Trevisan and his lifelong search for the "philosopher's stone," the author narrates the lives and discoveries of such towering figures as Paracelsus and his chemical treatment of disease; Priestley looking for phlogiston and finding oxygen and carbon dioxide, Lavoisier creating a new language of chemistry; Dalton and his Atomic Theory; Avogadro and the idea of molecules, Mendeleeff arranging the table of elements under his Periodic Law; the Curies isolating radium; Thomson discovering the electron; Moseley and his Law of Atomic Numbers; Lawrence and the construction of the cyclotron; and more. Probably the most dramatic chapter in the book, the account of the development of nuclear fission, ends the story of chemistry at its most monumental achievement.
You’ll be amazed at all you can learn from this favorite drink – what’s in it, why it fizzes, what you can do with it, the containers it’s in, and more!
Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of seventeen groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a substance-which, in turn, can result in great historical shifts.
If you want your child to be able to explore and complete some simple chemistry experiments without running around grabbing all the items an all in on kit is just the thing to add to your chemistry studies.
Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. The Disappearing Spoon masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery -- from the Big Bang through the end of time.
Chemistry EditionChemistry Fluxx is the perfect compound of chance, skill and strategy-use atoms and laboratory tools to match the current goal of the game and win! The rules are always changing in Fluxx. The Keepers, Goals, Rules and Action cards determine how the game will be played.
For students, DIY hobbyists, and science buffs, who can no longer get real chemistry sets, this one-of-a-kind guide explains how to set up and use a home chemistry lab, with step-by-step instructions for conducting experiments in basic chemistry -- not just to make pretty colors and stinky smells, but to learn how to do real lab work:
- Purify alcohol by distillation
- Produce hydrogen and oxygen gas by electrolysis
- Smelt metallic copper from copper ore you make yourself
- Analyze the makeup of seawater, bone, and other common substances
- Synthesize oil of wintergreen from aspirin and rayon fiber from paper
- Perform forensics tests for fingerprints, blood, drugs, and poisons
- and much more
Written for lay readers, provides an introduction to the principles of chemistry and includes quotations from popular literature to show how chemistry and everyday life intertwine.
If you have ever suspected that "heavy water" is the title of a bootleg Pink Floyd album, believed that surface tension is an anxiety disorder, or imagined that a noble gas is the result of a heavy meal at Buckingham Palace, then you need The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry to set you on the road to chemical literacy.
You don't need to be a scientist to grasp these and many other complex ideas, because The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry explains them all: the history and basics of chemistry, atomic theory, combustion, solubility, reaction stoichiometry, the mole, entropy, and much more—all explained in simple, clear, and yes, funny illustrations. Chemistry will never be the same!
More Chemistry for Kids Activities
- 21 Fun Chemistry Homeschool Ideas for Kids
- 10 Popular High School Chemistry Homeschool Curriculum
- Medieval Chemistry and Homeschool History – Fun Hands-On Activity
- Atomidoodle Chemistry Game App
- Homeschool High School Chemistry & Free Reference Sheet and Resources
Next, look at these two fun notebooking pages.
John Dalton and Democritus Chemistry Notebooking Pages
John Dalton was an English chemist and physicist born about the 6th of September 1766.
Dalton is credited with the Atomic Theory in chemistry.
What is the Atomic Theory of Matter? It states:
- Matter is made of small particles called atoms.
- Atoms are indestructible. They cannot be created or destroyed during chemical or physical changes.
- Atoms of an element are identical.
- Atoms of different elements have different masses.
Next, Democritus proposed the idea of atoms centuries earlier, around 460 BC. Democritus gets the credit for coining the word “atom” to describe that smallest piece of matter.
Finally, look at these chemistry for kids experiments.
Chemistry Experiment 1- Cleaning Pennies
When choosing your household items to clean the pennies look for acidic items as well as some non-acidic items like water to compare them.
You will need:
- 4-6 dirty pennies
- Disposable paper cups
- Various household items- vinegar, baking soda and water paste, bleach, ketchup, lemon or lime juice, tap water, sparkling water, hot sauce, soda, etc.
Try to find pennies that have roughly the same amount of tarnish to them. Place 4-6 pennies in paper cups, 1 per cup.
Write the name of each item on the outside of the cup so that it is easier to keep track.
Add your chosen household items to each cup, be sure that each penny is completely covered.
Set a timer for 20-30 minutes and while the pennies are soaking have your child make a hypothesis as to which will clean the pennies best.
Clean each penny and place it in front of the corresponding cup to compare how clean they are.
Here are how our pennies looked at the end, the cleanest in our batch was lime juice.
Questions to ask your child:
- Which solution cleaned its penny the best?
- Was your hypothesis correct?
For older children you can have them research why the acidic items work better to clean the pennies than less or non-acidic items.
Chemistry Experiment 2 – Disappearing Color
You will need:
- 4 glass containers
- 3 different food colorings
- bleach
- Pipette or dropper
Fill 3 containers ¾ full of water.
Add 3-4 drops of food coloring to each container.
Fill the 4th container with bleach.
Have your child use the dropper to add bleach a few drops at a time to each color and stir.
When the bleach mixes, the color should begin to disappear until the water is nearly or completely devoid of any color at all.
If you continue to add drops of bleach and stir your color will completely disappear out of each one.
Questions to ask:
- Before the experiment- What do you think will happen when you add bleach to the colored water?
- What happened when you added the bleach?
- Do different colors disappear quicker than others?
- Why did the color disappear? Bleach contains an oxidizer called sodium hypochlorite. This along with the molecules of the food coloring change their shape and they cannot reflect the light the same way so color disappears.
Finally, look below to see how to download the free notebooking pages.
Free John Dalton and Democritus Notebooking Pages
Too, I have two notebooking pages. One page is about John Dalton and the second one is Democritus.
Additionally, I have 2 of each one. One page is blank for your child to add his own research and the second page has a few facts.
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