Starting with Chemistry in Science Club

A few notes from our first Science Club topic of the year. Our focus was the creation of the Earth and the Universe as well as Elements and Compounds:

Friday, September 6

• pass out Science Club notebooks, write Science Club wishlists
• read Born with a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story by Jennifer Morgan
  
• while reading the story, incorporate the first three demonstrations from the Montessori First Great Lesson from NAMC binder:
  Demonstration 1: The Formation of the Universe
  use a pin to dramatically pop a large black balloon filled full of air & a handful of silver star confetti, collect some of the stars, float them on the surface of a large glass bowl full of water
  top of page 16

  Demonstration 2: Light Comes to the Universe
  light a candle
  middle of page 24

  Demonstration 3: Galaxies Form in the Universe
  notice that the star confetti on the surface of the water has very slowly been drawn together to form galaxies
  bottom of page 24

• while reading the story, lay out sequence cards from the Cosmic Story Mat from Waseca Biomes
• read "Hydrogen" from page 7 and do "Experiment 1: Get to Know an Atom" from pages 8-9 of The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry: 24 Experiments for Young Scientists by Sean Connolly
  

Friday, September 13

• pass out Science Club notebooks, write Science Club wishlists
• use the canvas Cosmic Story Mat, wooden timeline arrows, thumbprint pictures, and sequence cards from Waseca Biomes to review The Big Bang (also called The Great Inflation)
• discuss scientific practices of changing only one variable at a time, using a control, and trying to replicate your results
• discuss prior knowledge of element Helium, do "Experiment 2: Hey, Cool It!" from pages 16-17 of The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry
• discuss prior knowledge of element Oxygen and compound Carbon Dioxide, do "Experiment 6: Global Cooling" from pages 60-63 of The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry
• discuss prior knowledge of element Fluorine and compound Fluoride, do "Experiment 8: Try the Fluorine Tooth Test" from pages 74-75 of The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry
• begin and send home "Experiment 19: Not Such a Softie" from pages 170-171 of The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry

Friday, September 20

• pass out Science Club notebooks, write Science Club wishlists
• review scientific practices of changing only one variable at a time, using a control, and trying to replicate your results
• discuss falsification of your (or someone else's) hypothesis and share results of "Experiment 19: Not Such a Softie"
• lay out the Periodic Table using The Photographic Card Deck of the Elements: With Big Beautiful Photographs of All 118 Elements in the Periodic Table by Theodore Gray
  
• discuss compound NaCl and the concept of density and do "Experiment 18: 'I'll Have an Egg Float'" from pages 160-161 of The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry
• recall last week's candle experiment and do "Experiment 7: On the Trail of Cavendish" from pages 64-65 of The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry -- where does the water vapor come from?

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