Our chemistry unit was full of exciting labs and hands-on activities!

• We practiced the scientific method with a fun lab on rainbow milk.

• We explored the properties of matter by creating a non-Newtonian substance (Oobleck).

• We investigated density by building 4-layer density towers with corn starch, water, vegetable oil and rubbing alcohol. We then dropped in a marble, a paperclip, a popcorn kernel, and a plastic bottle cap and recorded our observations. In their lab reports, students learned about making inferences from their observations. For example, students inferred that, because the marble sank to the bottom of the graduated cylinder, it was the more dense than all the liquids we used to build our density towers.

• We tested the acidity of various household materials (vinegar, shampoo, lemon juice, water, baking soda, and crushed antacid tablets) using red cabbage juice indicator. Again, students submitted formal lab reports and used their observations to make inferences about the various substances we tested in the lab. For example, one student wrote: “The baking soda was by far the most basic substance tested in this experiment… as soon as all of the indicator was added to the test tube full of baking soda, it immediately turned a very, very dark blue. This indicated that the baking soda was indeed a base. On the pH scale, the baking soda would score an approximate 9.”