Week 6: Fun Experiments

Welcome back to my blog!

This week I was able to do some really fun experiments during the afterschool program at Remington! Students are becoming more and more interested in STEM and science! Many of my students were telling me how they really enjoyed the program and looked forward to it every week, and were becoming more interested in science. It is so amazing to hear the work of the program starting to produce some positive results for students. 

I made lava lamps and slime with the students during the program this week. I was able to layer different liquids in a large container and drop an Alka Seltzer tablet into the mixture to create a homemade lava lamp. This experiment was very visual and students loved seeing the reaction. I was able to explain density and how different densities interact with each other to the students. I have mainly been working with middle schoolers the past few weeks, as well as some elementary school students. The program has really blossomed, and it has evolved to working more with middle and elementary school students rather than high school students. Additionally, the high school students have track after school and are generally very busy, so it was more feasible to work more with middle and elementary school students. 

Students also really enjoyed making slime! We used a combination of borax, school glue, food coloring, and water to create fun and colorful slime. Students were able to take the slime home and enjoy it there. I did slime making with students this week to explain more about chemical reactions and how different substances interact with each other. Furthermore, students all love making slime, and it is such a fun activity! 

For the next program session we will be doing the elephant toothpaste reaction. I will update you on how that goes!

-Luc