Themed and special days

Chemis-tree carols

I always look forward to December when I can start displaying a Chemis-tree and other decorations in and outside the lab. I also enjoy sharing a different "Chemis-tree" carol each day. Author: Mrs. Vivian Templeton, Toronto District Christian High School, Woodbridge, Ontario

DIY holiday bath bombs

Our Science Department enjoys planning themed activities that correspond to different holidays. Last year we decided to make bath bombs with our classes on the last day of school before the winter holiday. This is an activity that is easy to set up, can be carried out in one class period, and has minimal clean up. Author: Angela Swartz, Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School, Baden, Ontario

Cover photo: The chemistry of marbling Easter eggs

Easter was approaching and we were finishing up a unit on bonding. Several of my students had seen a Pinterest post about dying eggs with shaving cream and pleaded, “Please do it”. Author: Jessica Zwaschka, Spearfish High School, Spearfish, South Dakota

Not only for Easter egg hunts….

Lauren Langman, Montour High School, Robinson, Pennsylvania uses plastic eggs and a hot glue gun to create models of sp, sp2, sp3, sp3d, and sp3d2 hybrid orbitals.

Cover photo: Fluorescing chlorophyll for St. Patrick’s Day ☘

Recently my students had the opportunity to see how plant pigment can convert light energy into chemical energy using the Flinn activity entitled Fantastic Fluorescing Chlorophyll. Students extract chlorophyll from spinach using a solvent and a centrifuge Author: Doug Ragan, Hudsonville High School, Hudsonville, Michigan

A green chemistry quiz for St. Patrick’s Day

Which of the following are green? Author: Jean Hein, Chem 13 News Editor, University of Waterloo, Ontario

Acid base speed dating

The unit of acids and bases is difficult for most students in Advanced Placement Chemistry. The amount of various calculations can be overwhelming. I decided it was time to make the pH calculations more exciting — acid base speed dating! Submitted by Kristen Drury, William Floyd High School, Mastic Beach, New York

Growing a chemistree and a competition -cover article

When I first encountered a chemistree as a new teacher, I thought it was brilliant and naively, a new idea. I soon learned that this idea had been around forever — like so many other ideas. Last year Twitter helped me discover more chemistrees through an online competition

Colour-by-numbers chemis-tree

Use the following colours for each numbered flask

What are you doing for Mole Day?

In order to inject as much pressure-release fun into the course for my students as I am able, I incorporate into my courses two big mole events. This allows me to celebrate the wonderful concept of the mole with both my grade 11s and grade 12s.

Mole Day resources

This photo was sent in by Kerry Friend, Paloma Creek High School, Atascadero, California.

Molympics 2018

Are you stuck for lesson plans for this year’s Mole Day? Not planning that far ahead yet? That’s okay, we have a solution. How about having your chemistry students join the fun with other chemistry students for this year’s Molympics!

Holiday chemistry

We start decorating our chemistry classroom with a colourful menorah made with solutions and a chemis-tree with a knitted mole as the star.

Poinsettia indicator holiday decorations

On the last day before winter break, our science classes always have a holiday activity. Last year we made a natural acid/base indicator from the red pigment in poinsettia leaves to decorate paper ornaments. This Christmas activity was modified from a Flinn Scientific ChemFax, “A Very Merry Indicator” listed as Publication No. 11062. If you decide to do this, this free-to-download activity publication has useful information.

The making of a mole

After reading the March 2015 issue I was inspired by Sharon Geyer’s article...

Mole pattern

Melissa Jones from Austin, Texas had this little home-made mole at ChemEd 2017...

Molympics

On Mole Day (October 23) high school chemistry students will have the opportunity to compete in the fifth annual “Mole Olympics” or as we like to call it...

Littlest chemis-tree

A meaningful science-based activity on the last day of school before winter holidays is important.

Christmas Lanterns

Letter to the editor

What are you doing for the last day before winter break. Do you have some soda pop cans, The Christmas Lanterns worked great...

Mole Day in the Classroom

Erica Taylor, Thornhill Secondary School, Thornhill, Ontario has her students dress the class moles for all celebrations

Mole Day celebrations at Waterloo

Last year on October 23 the bookstore at the University of Waterloo had this T-shirt for sale (left) and Avogadro toured the undergraduate labs taking selfies.

Millimole Day is Thursday, October 20 this year

When Mole Day falls on a non-school day, as it does this year, I celebrate Millimole Day

Spooky chemistry cookies

Spooky and yummy periodic table

Easter solutions

When discussing ionic solutions, it is common for a student to ask: “How do you know how many particles an ionic compound breaks into when dissolved in water?” Students find the concept of having 1 mole of NaCl in solution, resulting in 2 moles of ions — Na+ and Cl- — difficult.

Happy holidays

Chemis-tree

Can you name all the equipment used to make this Chemis-tree?

Create ornaments by etching roofing tins

I am always looking for ideas for my Chem Club and I came across a craft article on how to etch a metal tea kettle1 using salt water. I had an extra box of roofing tins and decided to give it a try. I was able to etch Christmas designs into these metal circles. It worked beautifully.

Mole-nora

Michael A. Palazzolo from Schaumburg High School, Schaumburg, Illinois sent in his chemistry version of a Hanukkah menorah.

Chemis-tree

Amy Longworth, Turner Fenton Secondary School, Brampton, Ontario sent in pictures of her beautiful chemis-tree and an example of one of her class’s creative ornaments to share with Chem 13 News.

Mole Day fun

What can you do with a stuffed mole?

Periodic table of Rice Krispies squares

I made a couple of pans of Rice Krispies treats, cut them up into squares and created a tasty Mole Day treat for the University of Waterloo Chemistry Department — even Mole Day grinches loved these goodies. Professors, students and staff all carefully selected an element to eat.

Mole art

As a new teacher I thought that I would never be like my quirky science teacher colleagues, but after nearly 20 years of teaching chemistry, I have developed a weakness for “mole art”. I love the element of fun that mole art brings to my teaching environment.

Scientists in love

After being inspired by examples in Chem13 News, I assigned my 9th and 10th grade physical science students the task of creating scientific valentines...

Using your Valentine’s Day chocolates to demonstrate density

Before your students arrive, unwrap a Snickers® candy bar and a 3 Musketeers® candy bar (any size is acceptable). Have a large, transparent container filled with water set up in the front of the classroom. Drop the two, seemingly identical, candy bars into the water and let the discussion begin.

A collection of chemis-trees

Chemis-trees created from classrooms across North America

The last day before winter vacation

On the last days before winter vacation, Mandy Migchels, South Huron District High School, Exeter ON had a little chemistry fun. Her grade 12 class silvered ornaments and her younger students made candle holders with cupric sulfate and pop cans.

Foaming chemis-tree

This great chemis-tree is the result of a modified version of the elephant toothpaste demo. Deanna Cullen from Whitehall High School, Whitehall, MI sent in this fun photo. To remind readers, the elephant toothpaste is created with hydrogen peroxide (30%) mixed with liquid soap — then a catalyst, often potassium iodide, is added.

Knitting for chemistry

Need a gift for your geeky chemistry friends? Look on the Etsy website — basically a website for handmade creative goods.

Rustic “chemis-tree” wreath lab: Iron-copper single displacement reaction

Two years ago, we had students perform this modified lab during the last day of classes before winter vacation. It is a team effort in our department, and we typically rotate between two labs, alternating each year, so that all the senior chemistry classes (grade 11 and 12) can do the same lab.

Colourful milk demo

If you go to YouTube and search “milk, food colouring and detergent”, you will find lots of videos of a colourful activity aimed at the elementary school level. Typically little or no science is mentioned.

Send a Mole Day greeting card

Mole Day Greeting Card to send out to celebrate the big day.

CEMPAZUCHITL, a puzzle celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead

Although Halloween is celebrated in a few areas in Mexico, the traditional festivity is the Day of the Dead, which falls on November 2. Many families visit the tombs of relatives and place thousands of yellow-orange flowers named “CEMPAZUCHITL” along with other items on an offering table, called “ofrenda”.

Cold moles on Mole Day cartoon

Looking for some Mole Day humour...

Holiday molecules

Who doesn’t love the holidays? That time when interruptions to classes hit astronomical proportions, student learning momentum grinds to a halt and teachers search for something meaningful to do with their classes.

‘Twas the night before Mole Day

‘Twas the night before Mole Day Everything out of sight, All the students gone home The chem lab locked tight...

Mole handwarmers

My chem club made mole handwarmers. First I printed the mole pattern — see below, or use the PDF located at the Associated Chemistry Teachers of Texas, ACT2 website.

The mole

You say a mole is brown and furry with eyes developed wrong, You ask a chemist his description, which is a different song.

Oh Chemis-tree

After 24 years, I can honestly recommend the time and effort involved in putting up this colorful holiday classroom decoration — pictured on front cover.

Creative mole conversions

As chemistry teachers, we are always looking for creative ways to demonstrate that a mole is just a number. We challenge our readers to send in the most creative mole conversion you have asked of your students.

Qualitative analysis of a redox reaction

The reaction of iron(II) sulfate and silver nitrate has led to some interesting observations such as the formation of metallic silver and iron(III) sulfate/nitrate. This investigation of the reaction involves precipitation of sparingly soluble salts, formation of complex ions, conductivity measurements, filtration, centrifugation, redox and melting.

Snow exploratory

This collection of snow activities was published in the Colorado Chemistry Teacher’s Association (CCTA) newsletter in the winter of 2010. Using six stations, students investigate a variety of snow-like substances and have some fun with chemistry.