Elementary Chemistry Education
The New Zealand Association of Primary Science Educators (NZAPSE) is set to host a recorded professional learning session, "Chemistry in the Primary Classroom", aimed at engaging students with key chemistry concepts using simple, everyday resources. The session, an edited recording of the webinar, is available on the Science Learning Hub, a media platform owned by Referencing Hub.
The webinar will feature fun demonstrations by Sandy Jackson (NZAPSE), Chris Duggan (House of Science), Ian Milne, and Sterling Cathman (Mr Science). These experts will showcase a variety of hands-on experiments that make chemistry accessible and enjoyable for primary school students.
One such experiment is the classic baking soda and vinegar reaction, which demonstrates a fundamental acid-base reaction, creating a fizzing effect. Another example is paper towel chromatography, which uses washable markers and paper towels to separate pigments, illustrating molecular movement and mixtures.
Other engaging activities include the Skittles Rainbow, Lava Lamp Experiment, Density Tower, Elephant Toothpaste, Magic Milk & Wiggly Worms, Milk Soap Rainbow, and Lemon Juice Chemical Reaction. These experiments not only teach core chemistry topics like reactions, mixtures, states of matter, and properties of materials but also stimulate students' curiosity and scientific thinking through sensory-rich, visually stimulating processes.
The webinar also offers resources related to the periodic table of elements, such as the collection curated by the Science Learning Hub team. Additionally, the Royal Society of Chemistry provides primary school-specific resources and ideas for engaging investigations.
The International Year of the Periodic Table website offers information about events happening around the world, while the session's related content includes the articles "Junior science" and "Material world - mixtures", which offer ideas for teaching level 1 and 2 of the science curriculum and activities to engage students in chemistry, respectively.
Registering an account for the Science Learning Hub is easy and free, using either an email address or Google account. Logging in allows users to make this collection part of their private collection. The slideshow from the webinar is available, providing additional support for the video tutorial. It can be viewed in full screen and downloaded (7 MB).
These experiments are practical and effective for primary classrooms or informal science settings, as they typically require inexpensive, common household items. Many also come with video demonstrations and detailed instructions online to assist teachers in implementation.
The session is valuable for primary school teachers and junior secondary teachers looking to include more practical chemistry in their teaching. So, join NZAPSE and the Science Learning Hub for this exciting webinar and transform your classroom into a vibrant, hands-on chemistry lab!
This professional learning session on the Science Learning Hub, "Chemistry in the Primary Classroom," encourages educational-and-self-development by offering resources for teachers to incorporate practical, hands-on learning in their science curricula. The session features various engaging experiments like the baking soda and vinegar reaction, paper towel chromatography, and the Skittles Rainbow, which utilize science-learning to make chemistry both accessible and enjoyable for primary school students.
