Chemistry Fun

I may or may not have told you recently that we're studying chemistry.  So, we're studying chemistry.  It's our second time through and it's fun to be working at a bit higher level.

We're using Real Science 4 Kids and adding in some "extra" books to make it more exciting.  And because I can't use any curriculum without messing around with it.  I have issues.

There are three resources that have been particularly fun though, thus the purpose of this post.

First, the book The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray.  My boys have spent hours looking through this large, glossy book.  It's fascinating to actually be able to see some of the things we're reading about and to see what they are used for.

Second, another book called The Periodic Table: Elements with Style! by Simon Basher.  This is more cartoony, but still gives solid information in a way my boys appreciate and remember.

We use it in conjunction with these videos from the University of Nottingham (heehee, I love that name!).  They have a video for every element (except two or three) and they show you what it looks like, the professor discusses it and they do an experiment or two.  I thought the videos might be over their heads, but they love them!  We read about one element per day and watch the corresponding video.

Chemistry Booklist

Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry, Pre-level 1 and Level 1

Additional references:
Elements: Ingredients of the Universe – Ellen McHenry
Carbon Chemistry
Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope
Usborne Internet-Linked Mysteries and Marvels of Nature
Usborne Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia

We rent the videos listed below from A Plus Video Rentals since our library doesn't have anything.

BrainPop and BrainPopJr – www.brainpop.com or www.brainpopjr.com

Chapter 1 Atoms (periodic table)
Basher Periodic Table: Elements with Style – Simon Basher
Elements: A Visual Exploration – Theodore Gray
Mystery of the Periodic Table – Benjamin Wiker
Simply Science: Atoms – Melissa Steward
True Books Series: The Periodic Table – Salvatore Tocci
What’s Chemistry All About? - Alex Firth
What’s Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? – Robert Wells
World of Elements and Their Properties – Lynn Van Gorp

BrainPop – Atoms
BrainPop – Atomic Model
BrainPop – Periodic Table of Elements

Movies:
Bill Nye – Atoms and Molecules
Atoms & Molecules (Physical Science in Action series)
Periodic Table (Physical Science in Action series)

Chapter 2 Molecules
Atoms and Molecules: Building Blocks of Matter – Louise Spilsbury
Atoms and Molecules: Building Blocks of the Universe – Darlene Stille
Elements and Compounds: Building Blocks of Matter – Louise Spilsbury
How to Think Like a Scientist – Stephen Kramer
Investigating the Scientific Method with Max Axiom – Donald Lemke
States of Matter (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
True Books Series: Hydrogen and the Noble Gases – Salvatore Tocci

BrainPopJr – Scientific Method
BrainPop – Ions
BrainPop – Isotopes

Movies:
Chemistry- Bill Nye

Chapter 3 Molecules Meet (reactions)
Basher Chemistry: Getting a Big Reaction – Simon Basher
Chemical Reactions: Building Blocks of Matter – Louise Spilsbury
Chemical Reactions (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
True Books Series: Calcium – Salvatore Tocci

BrainPop – Radioactivity
BrainPop – Water

Movies:
Bill Nye – Chemical Reactions
Investigating Chemical Reactions

Chapter 4 Acids and Bases
Acids and Bases (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
True Books Series: Carbon – Salvatore Tocci

BrainPop – Acids and Bases
BrainPop – pH Scale

Chapter 5 Acids and Bases React
True Books Series: Oxygen – Salvatore Tocci

BrainPop – Chemical equations

Chapter 6 Mixtures
Day-Glo Brothers – Chris Barton
Floating and Sinking - Franklyn Mansfield Branley
Matter and Materials: Hands on Science – Sarah Angliss
Mixtures (Material Matters)– Carol Baldwin
Mixtures and Solutions: Building Blocks of Matter – Louise Spilsbury
Compounds and Solutions (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin

BrainPop – Compounds and Mixtures
BrainPop – Diffusion

Movies:
Bill Nye – Phases of Matter
Bill Nye – Fluids
All About Solids (Physical Science for Children)
Elements, Compounds & Mixtures

Chapter 7 Un-Mixing
Crazy Chemistry (A Weird History of Science ) – John Townsend
Hot As an Ice Cube - Philip Balestrino
Metals (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
Nonmetals (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
Simply Science: Solids, Liquids, and Gases – Simon Charnon
What is the World Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases - Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld


BrainPopJr – Changing States of Matter
BrainPopJr – Solids, Liquids, and Gases
BrainPop – Matter Changing States
BrainPop – Property Changes
BrainPop - Metals
BrainPop – States of Matter

Movies:
Chromatography

Chapter 8 Food and Taste (energy molecules)
Story of Salt – Mark Kurlansky

BrainPop - Salt

Chapter 9 Molecular Chains (polymers, plastics)
How We Use Plastic – Chris Oxlade OR Plastic - Holly Wallace
Transformed: How Everyday Things are Made – Bill Slavin

BrainPop - Plastic

Chapter 10 Molecules in Your Body (DNA)
Amazing Schemes Within Your Genes - Frances Balkwell
Cell Works: Microexplorers - An Expedition into the Fantastic World of Cells - Patrick A. Baeuerle
Cells Are Us - Frances Balkwell
DNA is Here to Stay - Frances Balkwell
Enjoy Your Cells - Frances Balkwell
Gene Machines - Frances Balkwell
Have a Nice DNA - Frances Balkwell
How the Y Makes the Guy: Microexplorers - A Guided Tour Through the Marvels of Inheritence and Growth - Patrick A. Baeuerle, Norbert Landa
I Know How My Cells Make Me Grow – Kate Rowan
Ingenious Genes: Microexplorers - Learning About the Fantastic Skills of Genetic Engineers and Watching Them at Work - Patrick A. Baeuerle, Norbert Landa
They Came From DNA - Billy Aronson
Supercell - Frances Balkwell

BrainPop – Body Chemistry

Movies:
Genes – Bill Nye

These links contain other links to all sorts of chemistry videos -
http://chemistry.about.com/od/sciencevideos/tp/chemistry-videos.htm
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/top-10-amazing/ http://www.kentchemistry.com/KentsDemos.htm
http://science.discovery.com/videos/how-its-made/ (shows how things are made)
http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/pirelli/pages/cca2icebomb.html
http://www.periodicvideos.com/extravideos.htm#

Experiment books:
Adventures with Atoms and Molecules – Robert Mebane
Fizz, Bubble & Flash – Anita Brandolini
Super Science Concoctions – Jill Frankel Hauser

Manipulatives to use:
Ein-O’s Box Kit: Molecular Models
Thames and Kosmos Chem C2000 Chemistry Experiment Set
Young Scientists Club experiment kits (# 5, 12, 13, 15, 34, 35)

Biographies (to be read throughout study):
Antoine Lavoisier – Lynn Van Gorp OR Antoine Lavoisier – Lisa Yount
Henry Cavendish – Josepha Sherman
Dmitrii Mendeleev – Susan Zannos
Joseph Priestley – Kate Conley
J.J. Thomson – Josepha Sherman
John Dalton – Jim Whiting
Henry Bessemer – Kathleen Tracy
Marie Curie – Mike Venezia
Early Biographies: Marie Curie – Meachen Rau
Manya's Dream: A Story of Marie Curie – Frieda Wishinsky
Marie Curie: Courageous Pioneer in the Study of Radioactivity – Beverly Birch
Marie Curie: Pioneer Physicist – Carol Greene
Marie Curie’s Search for Radium – Beverly Birch
Pasteur’s Fight Against Microbes – Beverly Birch
Louise Pasteur: Founder of Modern Medicine – John Tiner
Germ Hunter: A Story about Louis Pasteur - Elaine Marie Alphin
Robert Boyle: Trailblazer of Science – John Tiner
Giants of Science: Robert Boyle – John Allen