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Elementary Chemistry?


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Hmmm. It depends on the kind of experiments you mean. We're doing a combo of RSO Chem and McHenry's Elements for chemistry next year, and it will be pretty solid for elementary, but I don't know exactly what your dd wants--using vials and burners, or experiments using the chemicals in household forms, or something else? McHenry's Carbon Chemistry is the next step up after Elements....

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We did some chemistry this year (and there's some posts about it on my blog). I don't think you really do what kids might think of as chemistry experiments in elementary school. Sure, you can mix up some stuff and test acids and bases and make a few things go fizz, but most of elementary chemistry is what are atoms, what are elements, what are states of matter, how does states of matter change, etc.

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My ds really liked the Real Science 4 Kids chemistry pre-level. Most of the lab activities focused on making reactions and observing different things very carefully. The text focused on learning about atoms, molecules, acids and bases, and reactions etc.

 

My ds wanted to do more activities so I got him VanCleave's Chemistry for Every Kid. It's a basic activity experiment book. We haven't really scratched the surface of it yet, but it looks like a ton of fun.

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We started RSO this year. We didn't get very far because my son got "stuck" on the periodic table. He couldn't get enough. We both really enjoyed it. Making marshmallow atoms was a big hit. I'm adding in RS4K this year(basically because I was curious about the curriculum). As far as blowing things up, he went to several Mad Science classes, which he loved. No mess for me :).

Edited by Stuart
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Have you looked at Mr. Q's Elementary Chemistry? While test tubes are look cool, it really gets pretty boring just doing that. Mr Q's has two lab activities a week (36 weeks total). Some involve "mixing things" (you can certainly use beakers and test tubes...I think he recommends beakers for some of them), but there are also some other really fun labs, like a Mentos explosion, tie-dying a shirt (when learning about solvents), making ice cream, ect. While we haven't used it yet, my kids have been perusing the labs and are chopping at the bit to get started with them.

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Janice Van Cleeve's chemistry book

 

Molecules to Atoms (we did 3 books of this PLUS everything in J v C's).

 

Chemistry Bits is a good price for what you get and the man is very sweet.

(I can't get my durned cut and paste to work ... google Universe of Science). This does not look like some rinky dink toy with some colored baking soda in it.

 

Grow some crystals (kit or homemade).

 

Look around at Home Science Tools.

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Can we revisit this thread? I also have a young one looking for "real" chemistry, she's already carved out her lab space and is just looking to me to get it stocked. But I need a plan first!

 

I am particularly interested in the answer to this question:

I'm looking into chemistry for my soon-to-be 8 year old too. Has anybody used the Adventures with Atoms and Molecules that SWB recommends in the 2004 edition of WTM?

 

Anyone?

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I have been wondering about this too. My 8 year old has requested 'experiments' and is hoping she can follow along with her (almost) 13 year old brother's Apologia course LOL.

I was looking at the recommendations in TWTM for third year Chemistry... and those books are not precisely easy to get (well not all of them) :glare:

 

I did consider the Chem C500 kit from Thames and Kosmos, but I think I want something a little more comprehensive. Because, well, like I said, she wants to do the middle school one :)

 

So I shall be waiting to see what others suggest!

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We are/were using NOEO Chemistry 1. We're taking a break now but might come back to it when the school starts again. It has some literature and lots of experiments in it. It's very open-ended and very easy to tweak.

 

I read that Sonlight Science is great. That's next on my shopping list.

 

If you can find classes with lots of labs/experiments, that might be easier on you too. In our community they have RockItScience and MadScience. The interaction and discussion in such class settings is invaluable.

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We started with Adventures, but the experiments are boring if your student is looking for "real" chemistry experiments. For chemistry last year we focused on working through the periodic table with "Fizz, Bubble, Flash" but it's still not burners and non household chemicals.

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I'm planning for chemistry right now. We're going to start out with a few weeks of "Fizz, Bubble, and Flash". Then we're going to use the Magic School Bus chemistry kit. When I was first looking at things I narrowed it down to a few kits and had dd (age 8) look at them. She picked the MSB kit. Now that it's here I'm really liking it. We're still following the formula in WTM - I'll have dd fill out an experiment page and look up definitions.

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We spent 6 weeks making and remaking silly putty, trying to discover a recipe that would make the most pliable and the highest bouncing putty.

 

There is a basic recipe on the internet, and then you just alter the ingredients - different kinds of glue, different quantities of Borax. My kid loved comparing the stretch with a big ruler, adding a bit more of this or a bit more of that for the next batch. The bouncing tests were also great fun. Some changes he made caused the putty to shatter. All this information he organized in a notebook. And at the end of the project, I helped him make a bunch of graphs. For example, as you increase the borax, how does it affect the pliability?

 

It was a great chemistry project!

 

Ruth in NZ

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