My name is Sarah A. Martinez; I am a junior at Colby College with a Biology major and Chemistry and Theatre & Dance minors. As a child who focused most of her energies in the arts, I was easily intimidated by science earlier in my scholastic career.  My earlier fear for a subject that is now my passion is the reason why I decided to participate in science outreach experience.

I believe exposure to science at an early age is essential for all children. Giving them the opportunity to experience science in a hands-on way will give them the foundation to fully appreciate and explore the subject later on in their studies. These three experiments were created to spark an interest in science and hopefully inspire a drive to pursue a career in science, as well:

My first experiment, DNA Investigation, was developed to teach 5th- 8th grade students about the structure of DNA. Participating in this experiment will allow students to visualize DNA and teach them procedures that will equip them for High School Biology.

The second experiment I created, Do you know how rapidly disease can spread? will teach 7th and 8th grade students microbiology techniques while enforcing the importance of hygiene in order to limit the spread of disease.

The third experiment, How to make a lava lamp?/ How to make a cardboard fish swim?, was created to teach K-4th grade students the concepts of density, surface tension and the difference between polar and non-polar substances in a fun and  artistic way.


I sincerely hope that your class will enjoy the activities I created as much as I have!

 



It’s crucial for students to learn through all the senses. Observation is an important component to science, but students also need the hands-on experience to genuinely absorb the concepts. I’ve designed my experiments so that students get to see science in action, record observations, and think about the scientific concepts involved.

ACIDS AND BASES is a great activity for students in the 4th grade and up. Students get a chance to see which household liquids are an acid or a base and how acidic or basic they are. They become familiar with the pH scale and some acid-base reactions when they start mixing the solutions together at the end to see what happens. In ALKA ROCKETS, students launch small canisters into the air by building up pressure. They experiment with different amounts of water and Alka Seltzer to make their rockets go as high as possible. If there is time, they get to experiment with lime juice and vinegar, which add an Acid-Base element to the activity. Any age group would love this activity. Lastly, SPARKLING PENNIES introduces chemical reactions to students of the younger age group: Kindergarten to 2nd grade. They use a salt and vinegar solution to clean the rust off pennies and think about where the rust went. Afterwards, they put in a piece of iron into the solution and see that the rust (now copper ions) attached itself to the piece of iron. This will give them a firsthand look at the principle of conservation of mass.

All of these activities are designed to show students the concepts by getting their hands dirty and having lots of fun. I think that’s the best way to learn.

 

This is Sarah’s story

This is Adan’s story



I have designed three activities around density, acids & bases, and nutrients. Rainbow Density Bottle demonstrates how different liquids and objects with different density could float or sink in one another. This experiment is very colorful, and can be done on a very simple level with younger kids, or on a more complex level with different variations. For example, they can learn how to calculate density, or mix their own solution by varying the
ratio of two liquids.

In Invisible Ink, we explored the idea of acids & bases and their colors when an indicator is applied. We played a game of writing secret messages with invisible ink, and passing it to another person to read it. Targeted for younger kids, this activity educates them the differences in between acids & bases, and the colors under an indicator.

Who stole the Playstation is a crime case for the students to crack. A burglar had stolen a Playstation, but the burglar had carelessly left some food crumbs behind. CSI stepped in to analyze the food crumbs in the crime scene, and the students would help CSI identify what kind of food the burglar had left behind. In this activity, we will explore the nutrients in various foods, particularly the amount of sugar, starch, protein and fat. This also let the students familiarize with the amount of nutrients they are eating in their everyday diet.

 

This is Lyoe’s story




Hello, my name is Megan and I am a Chemistry minor at Colby College.  Enrolling in this class, I expected to get a taste of teaching chemistry that would help me decide whether I wanted to pursue a career in education.  I designed three experiments for grades K-7 according to the Maine Learning Results, which focused on the structure of matter, inquiry and problem solving, communication, and scientific reasoning.  The first experiment was called The Mystery of the Missing Mascot and employed several chemical reactions and physical changes.  These reactions and changes helped the students to solve the mystery and included uncovering a fingerprint, discovering the identity of a mystery powder, and explaining why salt makes ice melt more quickly.  The second experiment was called Polymers and involved making oobleck, silly putty, and a bouncy ball and comparing the many different polymers to show how similar and different they can be.  The last experiment was coined Ink-visible and concerned acid-base reactions and the pH scale.  In this activity, the students used acids, bases, and indicators to write and reveal their secret messages and they also used a pH meter to test the pH of several household materials.  I found this course mentally stimulating and personally challenging, but ultimately enjoyed the work and the insight it provided me.  

I sincerely hope that your class will enjoy the activities I created as much as I have!

 

This is Megan’s story