INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH:

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1 What is the Chemistry of a Bubble? INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: All sorts of things were invented when people simply mixed different liquids together to see what would happen. Sometimes these mixtures would give off horrible smells. Other times these mixtures blew up. When mixing soap and water together, bubbles were invented. You might think bubbles are for little kids, but there is a lot of science going on in that ball of soap and water. Every bubble is made of three, thin layers. A layer of water is sandwiched between two layers of soap or detergent. The water of a bubble sits inside these protective, soapy layers, keeping it from evaporating right away. Evaporation is when water changes from a liquid to a gas. As long as the water stays a liquid inside the layers of soap, it will stay a bubble. If the water evaporates, the bubble starts to fade and then pop. This can be seen with some close observations of bubbles, but in order to do that you have to make a bubble mixture. It is okay to act like a little kid again and play with bubbles as long as it is done for the sake of science. Big Bubbles There is a great deal of chemistry and beauty behind bubbles. Taking it to the next step with big bubbles can engage and excite campers. The formula below was developed to ensure massive bubbles campers could work with and investigate. Using regular bubble wands can be fun but other materials in the extension activity can create an engineering challenge to bulb bigger and better wands. 1. Introduce the student the to different chemicals to be used in this lesson. 2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph with this lesson. 3. Ask for student s help to make the mixture following the steps below. 4. Add one TBS of J-Lube to one 21.6 FL OZ bottle of blue Dawn Dish Detergent and stir thoroughly 5. Add one gallon of water to the soap mixture and stir thoroughly 6. Add 3 TBS of baking powder to the water and soap mixture and stir thoroughly 7. Add two gallons of water to the mixture and stir thoroughly 8. Once the mixture is complete, take it outside to a large, open area where the bubbles won t float into branches. It is best the mixture is used over gravel since it will cause grass to eventually brown and die. 9. Allow student to use regular wands at first. Suggest materials include: One 21.6 FL OZ Bottle of blue Dawn Dish (no substitutes, this is the best) One bottle of J-Lube Powdered Veterinarian Lubricant (can be ordered at Amazon) One can of Baking Powder A Pitcher that Can Measure out a Gallon of Water TBS Measuring spoon Large stick or stirring spoon One five gallon bucket Cheap bubble wands

2 Possible Support Video to Show Campers: Giant Bubbles Video Questions that can be asked and answered include: 1. What are the layers of a bubble made of? 2. What is evaporation? 3. What happens when the water of a bubble evaporates? EXTENSION ACTIVITY: Bigger and Better Bubble Wands Counselor Instruction: Bubble Wands The small cheap wands are okay, but bigger bulbs can be made with some simple materials. Introduce the campers to the materials below and ask them to experiment with some wand designs. Once they get theirs working, introduce them to the massive bulb wand. Suggested Materials Needed: Bubble Mixture Doll Rods (or any type of pole or stick) Cotton Rope Plastic Zip Ties Duct Tape Cotton String Yarn Straws Pipe cleaners

3 Chemical Reaction INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: Inside your body, all sorts of interesting things are happening that cause you to think, move, digest and grow. All of these involve changes to chemicals inside your body. You are a walking chemistry set of change. Right now, your food is being broken down into smaller and smaller parts so it can be delivered to all the cells in your body. Eventually, what was once a cheeseburger or garden salad will be changed into you. That s a big change and it is all made possible by chemical reactions. When two or more chemicals are put together and a new substance is formed, that is a chemical reaction. A very common chemical reaction in plants is known as photosynthesis. Plants take water and carbon dioxide and change them into sugar and oxygen with a little help from the sun. Your body does the very opposite chemical reaction. You take in sugar and oxygen when you eat and breathe, and your body turns them into water and carbon dioxide. You don t have to wait on plants or yourself to investigate some simple chemical reactions. There are some easy ways to cause chemicals to react with each other. You just have to be willing to do a little research to find them. Your counselor is always a good resource to start with when science is involved. Detecting Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Students often react to dramatic changes when dealing with chemistry. The experiment below deals chemical reactions that produce carbon dioxide and oxygen. Once the steps are followed, a lit match will reveal which gas was produced. If carbon dioxide is present, the flame will be extinguished. If oxygen is present, the flame will burn brighter. 1. Introduce the student to the materials of the lesson. 2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph for this lesson. 3. Explain that they are going to attempt some chemical reactions that release gas. 4. Read the directions below aloud and ask them to set-up the experiments. a. Stretch two large deflated balloons; fill one balloon with a tablespoon of baking soda and the other balloon with a tablespoon of dry yeast. b. Pour one cup of vinegar into an empty plastic glass bottle, and one cup of hydrogen peroxide into another empty plastic glass bottle. c. Without dumping the contents into the bottles, pull the balloon with the baking soda over the lip of the bottle with the vinegar and balloon with yeast over the lip of the bottle with the hydrogen peroxide. d. Lift the balloons so the contents pour down into the bottles. You will see two chemical reactions occur and these may cause the balloons to fill with gas. It may take some time for the yeast and peroxide. e. Remove the balloons from the tops of the bottle. 5. Redo the same steps without the balloons in glass containers. Light a long fireplace match and put the burning end into the container with the baking soda and vinegar. Watch closely to what happens. Light the match again and repeat. Ask the campers what they see. 6. Light the match again and put the burning end into the bottle with yeast. The match will stay lit. Pull the match out and shake the bottle to pop the bubbles, then put the match back in. Watch closely to what happens. Light the match again and repeat. Ask the campers what they see. 7. Explain that the baking soda and vinegar release carbon dioxide that smothers fires. This is the primary chemical in fire extinguishers. The yeast and peroxide release oxygen which feeds fires.

4 Suggest materials include: Balloons Clear glass drinking bottles Baking Soda Dry Yeast Vinegar Water 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Eye Protection Long Fireplace Matches Possible Support Video to Show Campers Video Bill Nye Chemical Reactions Episode Questions that can be asked and answered include: 1. What is a chemical reaction? 2. What is a common chemical reaction found in plants? 3. What does your body do with sugar and oxygen? EXTENSION ACTIVITY # 1: Baby Elephant Toothpaste Baby Elephant Toothpaste A very similar chemical reaction can take place with some of the same ingredients found in lesson Provide each group a glass bottle, a small cup, a spoon and access to yeast, liquid detergent, food coloring and water. 2. Read the directions aloud so the groups and put everything together a. Mix a spoonful of yeast with a little water in the cup. b. Add some 3% hydrogen peroxide, some liquid detergent and food coloring to the soda bottle. c. Take the mixture of yeast in the cup and the bottle of peroxide and detergent outside. d. Set the bottle on the ground and pour the yeast mixture into the bottle. e. Ask the campers what they see happening 3. Explain that the yeast and peroxide are reacting to make oxygen. This oxygen gas is getting trapped in the detergent to form bubbles. Suggested Materials Needed: 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Dry Yeast Liquid Dish Soap Food Coloring Cups Spoons Graduated Cylinder Two-liter Soda Bottles Eye Protection

5 EXTENSION ACTIVITY # 2: Mentos and Coke Massive Carbon Dioxide Another demonstration involving a release of gas is the diet Coke and Mentos explosion. This can be done using a geyser tube to make it more exciting. Students can help assemble this demonstration but a mistake will get someone covered in diet Coke so be careful. Do all of these steps outdoors. 1. Make sure the geyser tubes are clean and dry. 2. Place one sleeve of mentos into each geyser tube. 3. Remove the lid of cold diet Coke and screw the geyser tube down to the top of the bottle without triggering it. 4. Ask students to make close observations to this reaction so they can compare it to the next one 5. Pull the trigger and watch what happens. 6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 with the warm diet Coke. 7. Ask the campers if there are any differences 8. Explain the carbon dioxide in the soda is attracted to little imperfections on the surface of the mentos just like the bubbles on a glass cup when you drink soda. These imperfections are called Nucleation Points. Gas in a liquid are attracted to these places. 9. Clean up Suggested Materials Needed: 2 Sleeve of Mint Mentos 2 Two-liters of Diet Coke (one refrigerated and one slightly warm than room temperate) 2 Mentos Geyser Tubes Paper Towels

6 Conductivity INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: Chemists are scientists that study matter. Every object is made of matter and chemists want to learn about what this matter can do. When they study matter, chemists are studying their properties. Properties are the characteristics of matter that chemists can see and measure. Color and weight are two properties that can be easily seen or measured. Other properties take a little more effort to figure out. One property that can be a lot of fun to observe and experiment with is electrical conductivity. These are big fancy words for something simple. Electrical conductivity is the ability for electricity to pass through matter. Some matter is made of chemicals that allow electricity to move through it easily. This type of matter would be called a conductor. Other matter is made of chemicals that do not allow electricity to move through it. This type of matter would be called an insulator. This can be investigated using matter that every student loves, play dough. Play dough can be bought in stores, but it can also be made at camp. There are homemade recipes of play dough with different chemicals mixed in that make play dough an excellent conductor or a wonderful insulator. Yes, electricity can move through play dough and you can use it as a circuit to light small light bulbs called LED s. Plug batteries and LED s into some homemade play dough and you can light up your own sculpture. Play Dough Recipe Certain types of matter have either conductive or insulating properties when dealing with electricity. This can be observed using a common material, play dough. There are different recipes of homemade play dough that act as electrical conductors and insulators based on the ingredients added. 1. Introduce the student to the materials they will use today. 2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph with this lesson. 3. Following directions below for making the play dough. CONDUCTIVE: A. Collect the following materials i. 1 cup Water ii. 1 1/2 cups Flour iii. 1/4 cup Salt iv. 3 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar v. 1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil vi. Food Coloring B. Mix water, 1cup of flour, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, and food coloring in a medium sized pot. C. Cook over medium heat and stir continuously. D. The mixture will begin to boil and start to get chunky. E. Keep stirring the mixture until it forms a ball in the center of the pot. F. Once a ball forms, place the ball on a lightly floured surface (it will be hot so be careful G. Slowly knead the remaining flour into the ball until you ve reached a desired consistency.

7 INSULATING: A. Collect the following materials i. 1 1/2 cup Flour ii. 1/2 cup Sugar iii. 3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil iv. 1/2 cup Water B. Mix solid ingredients and oil in a pot or large bowl, setting aside ½ cup flour to be used later. C. Mix with this mixture a small amount of water (about 1 Tbsp.) and stir. D. Repeat this step until a majority of the water is absorbed by the mixture. E. Once your mixture is at this consistency, knead the mixture into one lump. F. Knead more water into the dough until it has a sticky, dough-like texture. G. Now, knead the flour into the dough, until a desired texture is reached. 4. Using the guidebook and squishy circuits kits, allow students to work with the materials to build circuits made with play dough. The LED bulb lights can break if bent to much or too often so ask the campers to be careful. 5. The dough can be sealed in ziplock bags and used again and again. Suggest materials include: Squishy Circuits (can be ordered on Amazon) Squishy Circuits guide book AA Batteries Flour Tap Water Distilled Water Salt Sugar Cream of Tartar Vegetable Oil Food Coloring Measuring Cups and Spoons Hot Plate or Stove Top Cooking Pot and Spoon Ziplock Bags Questions that can be asked and answered include: 1. What do chemists study? 2. What is a property? 3. What does it mean if matter has electrical conductivity? 4. What is the difference between a conductor and an insulator?

8 Crystallization INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: Because of their color, shape and sparkle, emeralds, diamonds and rubies are all considered beautiful gemstones. These gemstones have to be dug or mined out of rock. They are crystals that formed when liquid hot magma from a volcano cooled slowly. Salt and snowflakes are also crystals that form as liquids cool and harden. Crystals are solid materials that form patterns to create shapes like cubes, triangles and hexagons. Crystals are formed through a process called crystallization. As liquids cool or evaporate, some materials bunch together and take on patterns. If these patterns happen over and over again, crystals are created. As water cools high in the clouds, ice crystals form hexagons to create snowflakes. Crystallization can be seen using some very simple materials found in any kitchen. If a lot of salt is added and stirred into boiling hot water, and that water is allowed to cool slowly that salt will begin to join together to form crystals. Sugar will do the same thing. Watching magma cool deep under a volcano is impossible, but you can watch crystals form in your own classroom or kitchen. Try it out. Borax Crystals Allowing students to take part in forming crystals is quite easy. It can be done using sugar or salt. Some of the most impressive crystals can be formed using a common product known as Borax. This can be found as a powder in most large stores in the laundry aisle. 1. Introduce the students to the materials they will use today 2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph with this lesson. 3. Make the solution. 4. Form pipe-cleaners into shapes like triangles, circles, squares or stars. Tie one end of to the shape so it acts like a wand. 5. Bring 2 liters water to boil in a pot 6. Add the food coloring 7. Add enough borax to create a saturated solution* 8. Remove the pots from the heat 9. Carefully poor the liquid into glass containers that can be stored safely away 10. Suspend the pipe cleaners from a stick over the glass container so the form is down in the solution immediately. 11. Leave the container in place where it will not be disturbed and cover the top with a piece of cardboard. To trap heat. 12. Let soak overnight (or at least 8 hours), undisturbed 13. Return to the containers to check crystal growth. 14. This can be repeated with different shape and colors. * When mixing the Borax into heated water, the directions ask that you make a super saturated solution. This means you continue to stir in the powder until you can see that it does not dissolve any more. When you stir sugar or salt into water, it is as if the salt or sugar disappears. It does not. It is dissolved and is now in a solution with water. A super saturated solution has so much mixed into the water that no more will easily dissolve. This is necessary for crystal formation.

9 Suggest materials include: Box of Powdered Borax (often found in laundry aisle) Fuzzy Pipe Cleaners of Various Colors Heat Proof Glass Container Heat Source (stove top or hot plate) Pencils String Scissors Food Coloring Measuring Spoon for 1 TBSP Measuring Cup Questions that can be asked and answered include: 1. Where are diamonds and rubies formed? 2. What are crystals? 3. What are some common shapes that form crystals? 4. What are some common materials in your kitchen you could use to make crystals?

10 The Density of Water INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: We live on a blue planet surrounded by water. Over 70% of the Earth s surface is covered in water. Most of that water contains salt. When salt is mixed into water, it dissolves. It looks like it disappears, but the salt has completely blended in with the water so much so that you can not tell the difference between the water and the salt. When more and more salt is dissolved into water, there is more and more matter packed together. Density is the measure of how much matter is packed into a space. If water is fresh, there isn t a lot of other matter packed in it. If salt is dissolved in water, like seawater, the more salt dissolved in the water the more matter is packed into that water. The more salt found in the water, the denser that water tends to be. This density can be measured with a tool known as a hydrometer. A hydrometer is built to sink through less dense water and float in denser water. The more matter packed or dissolved in water, the harder it is for an object to sink through that water. If the water is dense with a lot of salt, the hydrometer will float higher. If the water is less dense, then there is less matter in the way allowing the hydrometer to sink. Water density is easy to investigate with the right tools. Get wet and see how packed the water can get. Salt Water Density The density of water can be tested easily using a device known as a hydrometer. The less dense the water, the further down it will sink. The denser the water, the higher it will float. A homemade hydrometer can be built with a straight, drinking straw and a small ball of clay. 1. Introduce the students to the materials they will use today 2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph with this lesson. 3. Students can make a few hydrometers. 4. Straw are cut to be 6 inches in length 5. One end of the straw has a small clay plug stuck up the hole. Too much clay and the straw will always sink to the bottom. The amount of clay will need to be tested to ensure that the straw floats. 6. Fill cylinders with fresh tap water 7. Test the hydrometer to see if it floats. The clay side of the straw goes down into the water and should float so the open end does not sink below the water line. Change the amount of clay until it does not sink too far down. 8. Using a sharpie marker, campers draw a line where the straw touches the water line. 9. This can then be repeated as measurements of table salt are added to the water 1 tablespoon at a time. With each tablespoon added, the salt should be stirred and the hydrometer dropped in for a new measurement. 10. A new line can be drawn on the straw where it touches the water line. Salt can be added until salt no longer dissolves when it is stirred. 11. All steps can be repeated using sugar or baking soda. 12. Lake water can be used to see how dense it is.

11 Suggest materials include: Small, empty water bottles or narrow graduated cylinders Straight drinking straws Clay Scissors Water Baking Soda Sugar Table Salt Measuring Spoon for TBSP Sharpie Markers Questions that can be asked and answered include: 1. What does it mean for something to dissolve? 2. What is density? 3. How is the density of water measured? 4. What will happen to a hydrometer is denser water? EXTENSION ACTIVITY #1: Density Tower 9 Layer Density Tower Different liquids have different densities. This can be seen by combining them in a cylinder. The heaviest will sink to the bottom and the lightest will float on the top. The heaviest is made of more matter and the lightest is made with less matter. This will require some prepwork or get the campers involved in getting ready. 1. Provide a cylinder and some eye droppers 2. Show different cups of liquid. The cups need to be labeled with the names of the liquid. 3. Ask the campers to add the liquid to the cylinder in the order you call out. They should put the same amount of each liquid into the cylinder. a. Honey b. Corn Syrup c. 100% Maple Syrup d. Whole Milk e. Yellow Dish Soap f. Water (dyed green) g. Vegetable Oil h. Rubbing Alcohol (dyed blue) i. Lamp Oil (dyed red) 4. A column should form with the most dense materials at the bottom and the least dense at the top

12 Suggested Materials Needed: Honey Corn Syrup 100% Maple Syrup Whole Milk Liquid Dish Soap Water Vegetable Oil Rubbing Alcohol Lamp Oil Food Coloring Cups Eye Droppers Graduated Cylinders LESSON 6 - EXTENSION ACTIVITY # 2: Food Color Fireworks Counselor Instruction: Oil and Water Color Show The density of vegetable oil is lighter than water and will not mix together easily. This can make for some interesting experimentation. Allow the campers to try the following activity. 1. Fill clear glass almost to the top with room-temperature water. Warm water is ok, too. 2. Pour a little oil into a cup. (1-2 tablespoons) 3. Add a couple of drops of food coloring. You can add different colors to the same oil. 4. Briefly stir the oil and food coloring mixture with a fork. You want to break up the food coloring drops into smaller drops, but not thoroughly mix the liquid. 5. Pour the oil and coloring mixture into the tall glass. 6. Now watch! The food coloring will slowly sink in the glass, with each droplet expanding outward as it falls, resembling fireworks falling into water. Suggested Materials Needed: Clear Vegetable Oil Food Color Two Clear Glass Cups Water Fork

13 Hydrophilic or Hydrophobic INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: Are you a water-lover or a water-hater? This weird question comes from the science of chemistry. There are chemicals that are attracted to water, and then there are chemicals that want to avoid water. Chemicals attracted to water are considered hydrophilic. Water-hating chemicals are considered hydrophobic. An example of a hydrophilic chemical is sugar. When sugar and water are mixed, the sugar dissolves into the water in such a way that you can no longer tell the sugar from the water. An example of a hydrophobic chemical is fat. Fat will not dissolve in water. In fact, it will separate and float on top of water. You can observe this if you mix oil and water together. The oil floats right to the top of the water, getting as far away from the water as possible. There are some substances that are both hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Dish detergent is a chemical where one end loves water while the other end does not. If dish detergent is added to a substance that is a blend of fat and water, it can cause that mixture to bend and twist. This can be seen when you add dish detergent to whole milk. Milk is a mixture of water, fat and protein. If detergent is added to milk, fat is attracted to one of the detergent while water is attracted to the other end. If drops of food color are added to the milk, the colors will move around as they are carried by the fat and water. It will look like you are painting with milk. Moving Colors through Milk Demonstrating the effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules can be quite dramatic when using whole milk, dish soap and food color. 1. Introduce the student to the materials they will use today 2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph with this lesson. 3. Students can make a few plates to experiment with different variables. 4. Milk is poured into a shallow plate 5. A few small drops of different food color added to the center. 6. A cotton swab is dipped into some dish soap and plunged into the center of the milk. 7. This causes the milk to move and carry the food color with it. 8. Different variables can be experimented with to see if changes make a difference. Suggest materials include: Whole milk (other types of milk can be used for comparison) Shallow plastic plate or bowl Cotton swabs Dish soap Food color Questions that can be asked and answered include: 1. What does it mean for a chemical to be hydrophilic? 2. What is an example of a hydrophilic chemical? 3. What does it mean for a chemical to be hydrophobic? 4. What is an example for a hydrophobic chemical? 5. What substance is both hydrophilic and hydrophobic?

14 EXTENSION ACTIVITY: Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Sand Instruction: Magic Sand The surface of sand grains is made wet by water, which means that water molecules are attracted to sand grains. Remember, this water-loving property of sand is called a hydrophilic property. Magic Sand is regular sand that has been coated with an oil-like substance that is water-hating or hydrophobic. 1. Introduce the students to the materials they will use today 2. Students can get a few clear plastic cups of water, some spoons and clear plastic cups of sand, both magic and regular. Spoons for regular sand should not be mixed with magic sand. 3. Have students take a spoon full of regular sand and dip it down in the water without pouring it out. Pull the spoon out and observe what the sand is like. 4. Have students take a spoon full of magic sand and dip it down in the water without pouring it out. Pull the spoon out and observe what the sand is like. 5. Pour liquid sand into a cup of water and see how it behaves. Suggested Materials Needed: Regular Sand Magic Sand Clear Plastic Cups Spoons Paper Towels

15 Acids and Bases INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: Scientists love to measure all sorts of things. Measurement is a very important skill in the field of science. Length, width, volume and mass can all be measured using different tools. One interesting measurement that can be made using liquids is something known as ph. These two letters represent a measurement for chemicals known as acids and bases. The ph scale is a measurement of how strong or weak an acid or base really is when compared to water. The ph scale runs from 0 to 14 with water right in the middle at 7. Anything lower than 7 is an acid, and anything higher than 7 is a base. An acid we are all familiar with can be found in a bottle of soda. The tingling in your mouth is acid irritating your tongue. Nature has provided a way of seeing the ph scale in action. The juice of a red cabbage changes color when an acid or base is mixed with it. With the help of an adult, you can test to see all different types of liquids to see if they are acids or bases. After all, measuring is what any good scientist does. Acids and Bases Nature has provided an easy ph indicator for investigating acids and bases. The juice from a red cabbage changes colors based on the presence of acids or bases. If a substance is basic, the juice turns green. If a substance is acidic, the juice turns red. Campers can investigate the ph of substances using red cabbage juice. The kitchen staff or a counselor could make the red cabbage juice ahead of time, or you could allow the campers to make it during the experiment but it will take some time. 1. Introduce the students to the materials they will use today 2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph with this lesson. 3. Students can make a few cups of solutions 4. Chop a red cabbage into small, thin pieces, place in a large bowl and pour 3 to 4 cups of boiling water over the leaves. Let it set for a few minutes. 5. Separate the juice from the solid parts of the cabbage by pouring it through a colander. 6. Find at least 8 different substances in the camp to test (suggestions include cleaners, beverages, safe medicines, antacid tablets, foods and condiments, attempt to find clear substances) 7. Mix all the substances into some water to thin each substance out into a solution. 8. Place ¼ to ½ a cup of each solution into clear glass or plastic containers 9. Add red cabbage juice to each solution slowly until there is a noticeable color change (some substances may not cause a big change or any change at all.) An indicator below shows the ph.

16 Suggest materials include: One or two large red cabbages A large pot A large bowl Colander Water Pitcher Refrigerator Various cleaners, beverages, condiments and antacids (vinegar, lemon lime soda, ammonia, baking soda water mixture are options) Graduated cylinders Clear containers (glass is preferable) Eye protection Questions that can be asked and answered include: 1. Which skill is very important in science? 2. What does the ph scale measure? 3. Where does water fall on the ph scale? 4. Where is an acid found on the ph scale?

17 Polymers INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: Everything that is a solid, liquid or gas is made of matter. Water is matter. Air is matter. Rock is matter. You are matter. This matter is made of very tiny parts called molecules. Some molecules are very short, like the molecule that makes up water. Other molecules can be long, like the ones that make up the matter that give your eyes their color. If long molecules are linked together with other long molecules a polymer is formed. The word polymer is used in chemistry to talk about very long molecules that can be shaped. Plastic and rubber are two very useful polymers. We use all sorts of things in our daily lives that are made of plastic. Cups, plates, mechanical pencils and sports equipment can all be made of polymers that we mold into the shapes we want. With a few simple ingredients, you can make your own polymer from school glue. The polymer that is made is often called gak or slime. This is a fun way to see molecules in action as they link together to form long strands of goo. Mix up a batch of polymers and see for yourself. Slimy Science Polymers can come in all shapes, sizes and consistencies. Gak (or slime) is one polymer that can get students engaged in chemistry. The formula below allows students to make a homemade slime that can be changed depending on the amounts of borax, glue and water. The gak can be as oozy as mucus or as bouncy as a rubber ball. Allow your students to experiment with different amounts to explore the results. 1. Introduce the students to the materials they will use today 2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph with this lesson. 3. Students can make a few cups of gak. 4. Mix 2 tablespoons of Borax with 1 cup of water. 5. Mix 1 cup of glue with one cup of water. Add 8 drops of green food dye to the glue mixture and stir well. 6. Slowly add the borax mixture with the glue mixture, stirring the whole time. Slime will start to form. The more Borax mixture you add, the stiffer the slime will become. 7. Remove the slime and rinse it under some water in the sink. Have fun playing with it. Suggest materials include: One Box of Borax (typically found in the laundry aisle) One Gallon Jug of Elmer s Glue (found in craft stores or ordered on Amazon) Green Food Coloring (other colors are also fun) Mixing Dishes Craft Sticks for Stirring Eye protection Possible Support Video to Show Campers Video Bill Nye Atoms and Molecules Episode

18 Questions that can be asked and answered include: 1. What is made of matter? 2. What is all matter made of? 3. What is a polymer? 4. What are two common types of polymers? EXTENSION ACTIVITY # 1: Edible Flubber Counselor Instruction: Psyllium Husk Powder Another type of polymer is edible. Follow the instructions below. 1. Pour 1 cup of cold water and a few drops of food coloring into the bowl and mix. 2. Add 1 teaspoon of the psyllium husk powder and whisk until combined. 3. Microwave on high for 5-9 minutes, the longer the heating process, the more rubbery the flubber gets. 4. After the initial 2 minutes the goo tends to rise and overflow, stop the microwave each time it starts to do that and restart after a few seconds. 5. Remove bowl (caution: very hot!) and tip content onto a plate and let cool. 6. Pick up and play! Suggested Materials Needed: Water Psyllium Husk Powder Food Color Whisk Measuring Sppon Microwaveable Container EXTENSION ACTIVITY # 2: Non-Newtonian Fluid Counselor Instruction: Ooblek Ooblek is another material that behaves oddly. It is known as a non-newtonian fluid. This means it does not behave like a solid or a liquid should. With little pressure it has a thin viscosity and is running like water. With a lot of pressure it behaves more like a solid. 1. Mix 2 cups of cornstarch with 2 to 3 cups of water. Take your time adding because it will get too runny with too much water. 2. Once it is the right consistency, let campers scoop up a cup and play with it. 3. It can run through their fingers if it isn t agitated. It can act like a ball of puddy if agitated. Suggested Materials Needed: Water Corn Starch Food Color Large Tub