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Hands-On Math: Factoring and Balancing Chemical Equations

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Written by Kim at The Learning Hypothesis.

Hands-on Chemical Equations Fun!

Chemistry requires a lot of algebraic thinking in order to be successful and it’s easy to incorporate hands-on chemical equations. Chemistry includes formulas, proportions, and the basis of the balanced chemical equation includes math concepts like the lowest common multiple, factoring, and the distributive property.

Balancing equations is necessary to satisfy the law of conservation of matter and simple means that what goes into a reaction comes back out.

The number of atoms on one side of the yields sign will equal the number on the other side.

Learning this kind of advanced math can be a bit tricky for students, so I like to make it as hands-on as I can.

Middle & High School Hands-On Math: Factoring and Balancing Chemical Equations. Chemistry requires a lot of algebraic thinking in order to be successful. It includes formulas, proportions, and the basis of the balanced chemical equation includes math concepts like the lowest common multiple, factoring, and the distributive property. Look at this fun hands-on idea to bring math alive!

This hands-on balancing chemical equations activity was a great way for my kids to visualize the concept as they learned.

How to Factor and Balance Chemical Equations

Let’s talk about the 3 mathematical concepts that are necessary to balance these equations:

  • Lowest common multiple
  • Factoring
  • Distributive property

The lowest common multiple (LCM) is the smallest number that 2 (or more numbers) are factors of.

Factoring is the process of determining what combinations of numbers can be multiplied to create a specific product. It looks like this.

Factoring Numbers

Distributive property says that multiplying a number by a group of numbers added together is the same as doing each multiplication separately.

In the case of balancing equations it means that when we add (or change) coefficients that the change will impact all of the elements in the formula.
Example

Balancing Chemical Equations

In this equation, there are 2 atoms of oxygen on the reactants side and 1 atom on the product side.
Reminder: the only thing that can be changed is the coefficient.

The LCM of 1 & 2 is 2. The factors of 2 are 1 & 2 so 2 is the first coefficient to try.

How to Balance Chemical Equations

That 2 will multiply the 2 hydrogens and the 1 oxygen atom resulting in 4 hydrogen and 2 atoms.

Now the hydrogen are unbalanced. There are more hydrogen on the product side.

The LCM between the two sets of hydrogen is 4. The factors of 4 are 1 & 4 and 2 & 2.

To make the hydrogen on the reactants side equal the number on the products side we will use a coefficient of 2 on the reactant side. This results in 4 hydrogen atoms on both sides.

Balancing Chemical Equations for Kids

All balanced.

Now if all of that math, made your head spin. Let’s look at a hands-on way to work through balancing these chemical equations.

Hands-On Activity for Balancing Chemical Equations

Make Factor Trees:

Do a quick lesson/review on creating factor trees. This is something many students have done since upper elementary. This is a great review of factor trees.

I like to actually multiply the number of atoms to get a common multiple and use factor trees to determine the lowest common multiple and the coefficients needed for that number of atoms.

This is a quick example…

How to Make Factor Trees

The factor trees make it easier to determine both the lowest common multiple and the coefficients (the factors of the LCM will be used in conjunction with the subscripts in the formulas

For instance if you were trying to balance an element with 4 atoms on the reactant side and 6 atoms on the product side, you can multiply those together to get 24.

Do a factor tree and quickly discover the lowest common multiple is 12 and the factors of 12 that will be used as coefficients.

Create a Chemical Equation Balance

Making a Math Balance

Supplies:

  • ruler
  • paper clips (colored are best)
  • binder clips
  • pencil

Directions:

  1. Place the binder clips on the opposite ends of the ruler.
  2. Count the type of atoms in your equation.
  3. Now count the number of each atom and add it to the corresponding binder clip (Use a different color for each element)
  4. Use the factor trees to help determine how to best balance the equation by adding atoms (paper clips)
  5. The ruler will be flat (balanced) when the number of atoms is balanced.

Using the example from above. This is the balance in action.

Hands On Math Balancing Equations Activity

Unbalanced equation:

This balance activity uses green paper clips for the hydrogen atoms and blue paper clips for the oxygen atoms.

To balance the oxygen, we added the coefficient to the product side to balance the oxygen.

The result is that hydrogen is now unbalanced. There are 4 atoms (paper clips) on the product side and only 2 on the reactant side.

The balance is leaning to the right.

Balancing Chemical Equations Activity

To completely balance the equation add the coefficient to the hydrogen on the reactant side.

DIY Balancing Chemical Equations Activity

Changes the number of hydrogen from 2 to 4 which completely balances the equation and the balance.

Middle & High School Hands-On Math: Factoring and Balancing Chemical Equations. Chemistry requires a lot of algebraic thinking in order to be successful. It includes formulas, proportions, and the basis of the balanced chemical equation includes math concepts like the lowest common multiple, factoring, and the distributive property. Look at this fun hands-on idea to bring math alive!

Make learning math fun and easy with these other hands-on activities!

7 Educational Movies for Kids About Westward Expansion

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Whether you have visual learners like I do or just want to add a fun twist to your day while learning about westward expansion, your kids will love these 7 movies about westward expansion. Also, you love more ideas on my page BEST Westward Ho Unit Study and Lapbook!

There are one or two that are documentaries and one or two of the movies that I really love which I feel are both entertaining and educational.

Also, we watched all of them on Amazon Prime which we love.

There are so many advantages to Amazon Prime that we’ve loved while homeschooling, but that is another thread.  It has been worth the membership for our family.

Fun Movies About Westward Expansion

Pop some corn, grab the blanket, and enjoy these westward expansion movies!

Heads Up. Most, if not all of the movies I recommend here, we’ve watched.

Obviously, things can change over time. So always preview the movie before you let your children watch and if you see something that has changed to not family rated, let me know.

ONE/ The History of the Oregon Trail & the Pony Express.

This is much more documentary like but the pictures, maps, and narration is educational and has quite a bit of background information.

Here is the review from Amazon: Ride along with the pioneers who suffered hardships and victories to forge The Oregon Trail, America’s longest and most famous trail. Then discover little known facts about the legendary Pony Express riders and their part in the Civil War. Breathtaking photography, live re-enactments, illustrated maps and rare photos make these two award-winning historical adventures come to life for all ages.

7 Educational Movies for Kids About Westward Expansion

TWO/ Sacagawea.

Out of all the movies, I think this was one of our favorites. It was narrated by “Sacagawea” but it was more movie like than documentary.

From beginning to end, it held our attention as it showed her life, talked about her marriage, and joining the Corps of Discovery. A beautiful way to tell this part of American history.

It mentioned a lot of the Native American people and showed what Lewis and Clark learned along the way about plants and animals.

If I had to choose chose one movie for a middle school kid, it would be this one. It covered quite a few topics.

Here is the review from Amazon. She was an expectant mother, but she endured every hardship these seasoned soldiers experienced. Without her the Corps of Discovery would have failed. This program re-enacts her journey in her words. Sacagawea will save Lewis and Clark time and time again on their expedition from negotiating for horses and show them which plants are edible. 

THREE/ Ghost Town and America’s Historic Inns.

This one talks about how the the great California gold rush impacted American history.

It has nice older black and white pictures along with views of the modern places pioneers panned and mined. What is very interesting in how different people made their living from the gold.

Here is the review from Amazon: Indulge your sense of passion for history with two programs that offer a fascinating link into America’s past. Visit eleven Gold Rush-era ghost towns. Then, bask in the hospitality of America’s most storied inns, taverns, and hideaways. 

Then, add in these fun westward ho coloring pages to make learning come alive.

7 Educational Movies for Kids About Westward Expansion

 

FOUR/ The Wild West Uncovered.

This is a cool documentary about Virginia City after people flocked there and it flourished.

I loved seeing all the old pictures, the way they lived, and the history. Heads up: They do mention there was child prostitution by then, but no pictures. But it’s so cool to learn how the city grew in riches and with so many people of different backgrounds. I never knew the diversity that lived there.

Besides that, the pictures and relics they find and seeing the old saloons, some still intact, makes this a very informative movie.

Too, it was really interesting that Mark Twain wrote there before he was famous. This documentary is not baby-ish and could certainly be viewed by a high school kid too.

Here is the review from Amazon: Discover the real Virginia City. Hollywood has forged our vision of the legendary Wild West through Westerns like the TV show Bonanza. This vision of the west conquered by cowboys, miners and outlaws all hit by gold fever has filled our imagination. Mark Twain’s colorful writings of larger the life characters has also contributed to the picturesque perception of the Wild West and Virginia City.

FIVE/ How the Wild West Was Won by Ray Mears.

A beautiful documentary and certainly one that your high school kids will like alongside your middle school kids. Beautiful scenery and I love the fact it starts off with being in Washington D.C. and showing how Americans wanted to go west. He takes a different slant about the west by focusing on the mountains and terrain. Kept our attention the whole time.

Your girls will like it, but I think especially good for boys who may like learning about survivor skills.

Here is the review from Amazon: Bushcraft expert and survivalist Ray Mears explores the awe-inspiring landscape of that shaped the story of the Wild West. How did the mountain ranges, great plains and the deserts challenge westward expansion? Discover how extraordinary topography, extreme weather and ecology presented both great opportunity and even greater challenges for Native Americans and early pioneers of the Wild West. 

SIX/ Wildlife of the West.

Beautiful images, scenery, and animals of the west bring this time period in history alive.  And you can add a bit of science to this topic while watching this movie.

I especially love the fascinating facts  about each animal that is on the side as you watch. I’m tempted to do some notebooking pages for each animal. (ha)

Here is a snippet of how it looks below. But, the movie could be paused so that your kids could write a few facts about the wildlife of the west because no doubt the animals would’ve been the same kind the earlier settlers encountered.Here is the review from Amazon. Experience the wonder of more than 2 dozen of the West’s most intriguing animals. Wildlife of the West takes you stream-side and mountain-side, to dizzying heights and stunning habitats. 

Seven/  Manifest Destiny: The Lewis & Clark Musical Adventure.

This was goofy but had great music. But this movie musical would certainly appeal to a different learner who appreciated the humor, but had a lot of great facts while they’re singing and acting.

It’s too silly for a high school kid and some more mature middle school kids may not like the humor, but you could include your younger kids with this one if you had a middle school kid who loved movies with a spoof.

Here is the review on Amazon: This cult musical comedy turns the tale of Lewis & Clark into a romping spoof of American history. Follow the explorers out on the trail as they discover that destiny may be anything but manifest. With bold, stylized visuals and ten memorable songs — this is an adventure you’ll never forget. 

I know you’ll find or two movies here to make your westward expansion unit study come alive!

7 Educational Movies for Kids About Westward Expansion
Whether you have visual learners like I do or just want to add a fun twist to your day while learning about westward expansion, your kids will love these 7 movies for kids about westward expansion. Click here to grab these fun movies and add to your study or unit study!
Whether you have visual learners like I do or just want to add a fun twist to your day while learning about westward expansion, your kids will love these 7 movies for kids about westward expansion. Click here to grab these fun movies and add to your study or unit study!

Also, you may like these other helpful and fun resources:

Hugs and love ya,

Homeschooling Stubborn Teens: Not for the Faint of Heart

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While homeschooling through the years we confront with dogged determination many scenarios which makes us weak at the knees or makes our heart skip a beat. But, nothing comes even close to the enemy in our own midst – our sweet child turned stubborn, unmotivated, and seemingly lazy teen. Homeschooling stubborn teens is not for the faint of heart.

I’ve learned that although it’s easier to blame my teens for everything that went wrong, I too had to learn how to parent differently. As each of my sons reached the teen years, I’ve had to become more resourceful and creative in how I homeschool them.

I've learned that although it's easier to blame my teens for everything that went wrong, I too had to learn how to parent differently. As each of my sons reached the teen years, I've had to become more resourceful and creative in how I homeschool them. Click here to grab these SUPER helpful tips!

Avoiding drama in your house is not all together impossible, but you can curb it and cope with it by learning from my mistakes.

3 PARENTING TECHNIQUES FOR HOMESCHOOLING STUBBORN TEENS

Whether your teen has been homeschooled from the beginning, came willing to homeschool after many years in public school or had no choice, he wants choices now.

One/ Focus on the teen, not the school.

However, before you can get to choices, the number one mistake made by many homeschooling families is to focus on homeschool. Yep, wrong focus right now.

The teacher in us is ready to go, but the mom in us should lead right now. Problems, whether academic or developmental, signal something is wrong.

Although a teen can now vocalize that he hates math or writing and is seen as unmotivated, that’s only the result of what is going on inside.

Before assuming it’s a lack of motivation, step back, and deschool. You can’t move forward until you and your teen are both ready.

Coming into adulthood takes a toll daily on your teen and he needs you now more than ever.

Two/ Deschool now before it’s too late.

Look at ways you can step back, deschool, and focus. Move forward by stepping back instead of butting heads:

  • If he hates math, ask him which subjects he does like. Use that knowledge to plan a routine. For example, get the worst subjects out of the way at his peak time and in a place he chooses. Explain to him that he can make those choices, however, if he is not doing his math because he decided to lie down on his bed, then it’ll have to change. I had one son that just because he could sit on his bed, he was in the right mindset to do math which was a subject he hated. He did well and eventually later in high school, he moved to the table. Give him some choice. BUT, first take time to not do school while you question him (few questions in the beginning) about subjects he likes and doesn’t like. Help him to make a routine for the day he loves while satisfying your requirements.
  • Next, do something he wants to do. For us, it was skateboarding, bicycling and watching movies. I told my teens to not do school for a few days while they played. My teens praised me as the best homeschooling mom ever (ha, but I had a motive). Like all smart moms who want their sons to do well in academics, I knew that they had to see first that I was reasonable. After they played for a few days and I could see it winding down, I discussed with each one how to work in what they liked doing while balancing their academic load. It worked. They knew I was reasonable, but had expectations. Including them in the discussion gave them the control they wanted.
  • Focus on when the rebellion occurs. For example, I knew our problem was an over scheduling problem with one of my teens. The rest of the day he was pretty compliant barring a few bad moods. Over all, the sulking and back talking happened only during school. Stepping back and allowing my teen to rest gave me time to understand how many credits I wanted for middle or high school teen. I reworked his schedule. However, if your teen is complaining pretty much the whole day, then it’s a parenting or rebellious issue and homeschooling is getting a bum rap.

Three/ Over ambitious homeschooling can backfire.

It’s easy to say when your child is five or six years old what he will and will not do as a teen, but it’s quite a different thing scheduling for him at 15 or 16 years old.

While it may be true that a teen doesn’t have to love learning because work places or colleges don’t care if he does, it never worked when I told them that.

I’ve never made progress with my sons when I vented and I normally had nothing helpful to say when I lost it.

Pushing my sons to do college courses early while in high school, having them take jobs too early, and do heavier maths because they were hardworking could’ve backfired.

Stepping back to reaffirm that heart schooling was just as important as academics helped me to solidify the fact that homeschooling is a lifestyle. I want my sons to homeschool their sons because I believe it’s the best way to teach a child.

HOMESCHOOLING TEENS WITH THE FUTURE IN MIND

Homeschooling with a future generation in mind helped me realize that I wholeheartedly believe learning is a privilege.

Curbing my desire to sock it to my boys with their academic load while being teens helped us to not only lap up the precious teen years, but love every minute of it.

Sometimes the solution to a problem was to just stop. And remembering each teen is different helped me to see problems from each kid’s perspective. Can you relate?

What kind of problems are you trying to overcome with your teen?

When your teens are grown and look back at how you didn’t give up on them, all of the hard times will be memories. You’ll only see the beautiful man or woman thanking you. Your knees will then be weak for another reason – overwhelming happy emotion.

I've learned that although it's easier to blame my teens for everything that went wrong, I too had to learn how to parent differently. As each of my sons reached the teen years, I've had to become more resourceful and creative in how I homeschool them. Click here to grab these SUPER helpful tips!

Also, you’ll find these other articles super helpful. Don’t give up now. You’re almost there.

Hugs and love ya,

Wipe Out Self-Doubt: 13 Ways to Show Homeschool Progress (And How I Know My Sons Got It)

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Working in the sun 7 days a week and 12 hour days as insurance auto adjusters, my sons have been walking down rows and rows of thousands of cars as they’ve been processing insurance claims at their job.

The vehicles are owned by persons affected by Hurricane Harvey. Recently, the insurance company considerably reduced the amount of staff needed to work the claims; they kept only 5 people to finish up.

My two sons were part of the 5 kept. By the way, although they have worked doing various things, this has been their first real life (don’t you just hate when people use that word with us) job.

THIS is How I Know My Homeschooled Sons Got It

How do they measure up in their first real life job? One of their bosses told the team, “It’s hard to find kids in this generation with a work ethic like these two boys. They are prompt, do what they’re told, work well with the team, and work without complaining.”

Just prior to the boss speaking, the other employees had called attention to the fact that my boys have been homeschooled.

Homeschool progress, achievement, and success is measured differently by everybody.

And you know it’s not been my style to talk a lot about my sons’ achievements. I want my son’s to explore their options during and after homeschool without feeling the need to perform for the public.

However, I do know, like me, you want to know that your day to day efforts of homeschooling are working.

And letting you know how I know that my homeschooled sons got it, I hope that if you’re having nagging feelings of self-doubt that you’ll put them to rest today.

When a student takes initiative in his school every day that practice spills over to real life. Rigorous academics builds character. Giving your kids freedom to demonstrate mastery equips them with a can do spirit that will stick into adulthood.

What I’m saying is that there is a connection between rigorous academics while homeschooling and success later.

I have rounded up 13 ways to show homeschool progress. And although I didn’t use all of them with my older boys, I used a lot of them. Too, not every idea will work with every topic, but they give you a starting point.

ONE/ Student made maps.

Mapmaking and geography for homeschool study. Check out the tips!

Whether you choose for a student to draw a map from memory or label one teaching concepts get mastered.

WonderMaps by Bright Ideas Press

Wondermaps have been our choice of maps. Whatever time period my boys are working on, we can use them as a blank outline or add as much information to them as we want to.

TWO/Field trip notes.

I’ve always insisted that my sons come back with at least three key things we learned on our field trips. Not only was it fun, but I was enforcing that learning takes place outside of a book.

THREE/ Student made powerpoints or webquests.

FOUR/ Create a timeline.

FIVE/ Engage in a mock discussion. If need be, create a limited time co-op.

SIX/ Write narratives.

Writing narrative is a great way for an older student to demonstrate that he understands a subject.

SEVEN/ Student made presentations.

Presentations have been a huge part of not only recognizing achievement but gave my sons impetus to create excellent work. You don’t have to have something as formal as a co-op, but even a small family audience will work.

EIGHT/ Teach the subject back to you or to one of his siblings.

NINE/Keeping a journal.

TEN/Create a song.

ELEVEN/Create a play.

TWELVE/Oral discussions.

Oral discussions with my sons is one way I was able to gauge their progress in literature.

If they couldn’t go beyond telling me the basics of a story using proper literary terms, I knew they really didn’t put forth effort to engage with the literature.

THIRTEEN/ Narration.

Narration is a Charlotte Mason technique that I incorporated into our unit studies. If a child can’t tell back what he read, he doesn’t really understand it. Look at my tips at my post Narration – Telling Back or Testing? Books that Make Teaching Narration Easy Peazy.

Although my sons job right now is tough, it works for them while they are still taking courses. And I’m just as proud of their work ethic as I am of any academic grade they make.

I’ve learned that my focus on cultivating their attitude was just as important as nurturing their aptitude. You can have both.

When a student takes initiative in his school every day that practice spills over to real life. Rigorous academics builds character. Giving your kids freedom to demonstrate mastery equips them with a can do spirit that will stick into adulthood. Grab these 13 creative ways for your child to show mastery! #homeschool

Tests are important, but they’ll never be able to prepare a homeschool child for facing real life. Try one or two of these ways above for your child to demonstrate progress.

Also, you’ll love these articles!

Hugs and love

Hands-on Geography: Longitude/Latitude Mapmaking Activity

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I have a longitude latitude activity today. Also, look at my page Homeschool Geography for more geography tips and activities.

Learning to read longitude and latitude is a major part of reading maps.

With these measurements, geographers can locate any place in the world, simply by finding the correct degree coordinates.

Learning to read longitude and latitude is a major part of reading maps. With these measurements, geographers can locate any place in the world, simply by finding the correct degree coordinates. Click here to learn how!

It’s important to learn what these terms mean and it’s important for kids to understand how to use these coordinates.

But there’s no better way to teach it than by doing a fun, hands-on geography activity!

This fun longitude and latitude mapmaking activity is a great way to help kids get involved in making maps.

Plus, it helps the concepts of longitude and latitude to really “stick”!

Longitude and Latitude Mapmaking Activity

When I was a kid in geography class, I would always get longitude and latitude mixed up. I couldn’t seem to remember which measurement traveled in which direction. Eventually, I came up with this memory aid:

  • Longitude measures the earth the “long” way around (vertically)
  • Latitude measures the earth the wide way around (horizontally)

That might be useful to your students as well.

Longitude and Latitude Activity @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

To do this activity, you’ll need:

  • One piece of blue construction paper
  • One piece of white construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • A green colored pencil
  • A green marker
  • A black ink pen
  • A ruler
  • And pushpins (if desired)

To begin this activity, cut an elongated oval out of blue construction paper.

You want the oval to be large enough to depict the world, but small enough to fit onto the white construction paper.

Making a Longitude and Latitude Map @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Glue the blue oval onto the center of the white paper. Leave enough space around to write your longitude and latitude measurements later.

Using the green colored pencil, draw an approximate map of the world on the blue oval.

We just looked at a world map and drew it freehand.

That’s why the continents don’t look exactly right.

If you wanted to skip this step, you could print a world map and glue that onto the white paper, but I think drawing it out helps kids feel more connected to what they’re learning.

Longitude and Latitude Map Project @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

You could also use this part as an opportunity to talk about the distortions that come along with map projections.

Anytime a mapmaker designs a map, he or she has to alter the shape of the continents to get them all to fit. Just like we do when we draw the earth.

HANDS ON GEOGRAPHY

Once your drawing is completed, use a green marker to outline the borders and make them stand out a bit.

Creating a Map with Longitude and Latitude @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Now, use a ruler to draw a dashed line vertically down the center of the picture.

Longitude and Latitude Grid Activity @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Mark this line as the prime meridian – the center of the earth when measuring longitude.

The prime meridian has a coordinate of 0 degrees longitude.

Marking Longitude and Latitude Map Lines @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

From there, measure out equal distances to draw additional vertical dashed lines.

There should be six lines to the right of the prime meridian, showing 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 degrees.

Finding Longitude and Latitude On a Map @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Then label them all.

Adjusting Longitude and Latitude on a Map @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Do the same on the left side, marking six vertical measurements for 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 degrees. The key is to use an equal distance for each measurement.

Ours ended up being 3/4 of an inch apart.

As we completed the left side, we realized that our oval wasn’t actually equal, which was going to cause our measurements to be off.

We just cut some extra paper off the left side to even it up. Just like mapmakers may have to revise their designs as they go.

Finding the Equator On a Map @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Now it’s time to mark the latitude lines! Draw a line roughly across the horizontal center of the oval to mark the equator, which has a coordinate of 0 degrees latitude.

Marking Latitude Lines on a Map @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Then add three dashed lines below the equator to show 30, 60, and 90 degrees latitude. Label these lines.

Do the same to add three dashed lines above the equator.

Using Longitude and Latitude to Find a Location @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Okay! Now we can practice locating places on the map!

I started by asking my son to find the location marked by 0 degrees latitude and 30 degrees longitude.

(We drew our longitude lines first, because there were more of them to add to the picture. But in geography, latitude should always be listed first. Just FYI.)

Finding a Location On the Map with Longitude and Latitude @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Once we found it, we marked it with a pushpin.

If you wanted to find several places on the map, hang this picture on a cork board and let the kids try to spot places based on their coordinates!

Hands-on Geography: Longitude and Latitude Mapmaking Activity | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

A note of caution: This map is not going to be accurate, since it’s hand-drawn.

So remind the kids that the coordinates you call out and find on this map will not be the same coordinates they will find on Google Maps or a printed official map.

But this is a cool way to learn what latitude and longitude mean and how to find them!

Written by Selena of Look! We’re Learning!