Table of the Elements Homeschool Co-op Day

 This month at our homeschool co-op we had a fun day of learning about the Elements and the Periodic table that is used to organize them. I had first thought of having this day a couple of years ago when our co-op had a science theme. We didn't end up doing it then but I had found such fun ideas that I proposed doing it this year. And it worked out. And I found out later that we did it as close as we could have (according to our monthly schedule) to National Chemistry Week. We were on top of things without even realizing it. :-)

  I remember pretty much nothing of the periodic table from my childhood and I have managed through life okay without a robust knowledge of it. But I think science is pretty cool in how over and over again it points to God our marvelous Creator and Designer. The elements are just another part of what glorifies God in our universe. And though I have no desire to be a chemist and I kind of doubt any child in our co-op will become on either I think there is value in all of us learning more about the elements and realizing that God created them all. And who knows, maybe this fun day will cause chemistry to be more fun and interesting for one of these students some day and they will appreciate this background that we gave them.

   As with all our co-op days we try to have a team of people working to prepare for the day and the same was true for this one. Elaine and Tamara made the cookies and frosting, Lyndi and I did the overall planning, teaching and organizing. Others helped out with bringing frosting bags and organizing and helping the children.

Here is what we did: This was with our children ages 3-12. The highschoolers are doing other things this year.
-Lyndi began the day with prayer and a scripture. She shared this verse: Hebrews 11:3 

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

-Lyndi also did an introduction to the elements. After that we had a few reports by children and a couple of them talked about the elements as well.

- Colored the Table of the Elements. We printed out the one we found at Layers of Learning. They also have a lot of information on their site about how the table works. My kids and I had colored a bunch of sample tables so that the kids could look at them while they colored. While they were coloring Lyndi talked about the way the groups in the table are divided up and a talked a little bit about each group.

- Then the 8-12 year olds played games of battleship using the table. I got the idea of that from Teach Beside Me. Since they needed 2 colored tables They used theirs on the bottom side (and I made little laminated "ships" to place there) and the tables that my kids and I had colored ahead of time were on top.

 -Meanwhile the younger kids were frosting cookies. We were making a periodic table out of cookies. They frosted them in the right colors/amounts for doing that. Tamara had found a neat frosting recipe that could be put on with paintbrushes. That worked quite nicely.

 -Then we had the younger kids get in a circle on the floor and I let them all open a package that was labeled with an element and the item inside was made using that element. We were able to talk a little more about the elements and God's amazing design. They all seem to really enjoy this activity. I found this pictorial table of the elements super helpful for planning this activity and it is just a really cool resource in many ways for learning about the table of the elements.

 -Meanwhile the older kids where use frosting to write the element symbol on each one. Then they started to organize them. That was taking a long time however so we left that to the adults while we went on to another game.

 -I divided the kids up into two groups. We were able to do boys and girls with about 20 in each group. The boys group ended up being a little bigger so a couple of moms had to help the girls. I gave each person a paper with either an element on it or a number. Both groups had the same papers. Then I had made a power point that had some items with simple chemical formulas and I would put one up and say "go" and the first team to get the correct people (with the correct elements and numbers) in line on stage would win that round. I did thinks like water, salt, aluminum foil, glass, sugar, vinegar, etc and then I ended with the formula for a human body which was a trick one because they didn't have all the high numbers that they need or the elements to accomplish that one.

 This game was my own creation and I wasn't sure how it would go but it ended up working very well and seemed to be enjoyed. The boys started out winning but the girls got the hang of it and ended up winning this one. Lyndi had brought candy as a prize.

-Then with those same groups we had a scavenger hunt. We had either hidden, or just known that they were there, various "elements" (many of them weren't pure elements but we tried as best we could). I gave each group this list:

Element Scavenger Hunt

1.   This element is often found in something round and shiny. Your dad may have given it to your mom after asking her a very important question.

2.   This element can make things go up, up and away or it may make your voice sound squeaky.

3.   This element is heavy. It can also poison you if you are around it too much. It might help you catch a fish.

4.   This element may be used in the morning so that you can eat fried eggs. It is a heavy transition metal.

5.   The element Lithium can be found in something that you might use to give energy to a toy or an alarm clock.

6.   This element is shiny and pretty and can be used to make all sorts of fancy objects.

7.   This element is also shiny and pretty but it is more often used to make practical things for the kitchen or used for campfire cooking.  It is a light, poor metal.

8.   This element is an easy to bend metal. You might find it in the plumbing in your house if it is old or you might use a bendable form to make something with beads.

9.   This element is a brown liquid. It can be used to treat some medical issues.

10.                     This element adds good flavor to our food.

    This activity went well too, they got it done in about 15 minutes. They pretty much tied on this one and we let all the boys have a prize (candy).

  This cookies were all arranged now:

 We took a group photo and then they got to eat them.

It was a fun day and I hope the kids will always think that the elements and their table are interesting and fun.