Real chemistry for kids
Product review by Martin King
Royal Holloway, University of London
m.king@rhul.ac.uk
ECG bulletin July 2016
Royal Holloway, University of London
m.king@rhul.ac.uk
ECG bulletin July 2016
A modern take on the classic chemistry kit is fun yet also pedagogically valuable, according to ECG member Martin King, who tested the kit with his children.
Using a Mel Chemistry Kit, I have had the opportunity to teach my children a little chemistry by stealth and show them the sort of thing that I do all day long. The kit consists of a series of experiment sets that come by post. Combined with a starter kit, the experiment sets allow some simple, elegant experiments to be conducted at home that are interesting, fun, and pedagogically valuable. The sets came with everything we needed, from gloves and glassware to chemicals in little squeezy bottles. The instructions are mainly visual and are supplemented by a wealth of online chemical information about the experiments. The experiments are thus very accessible at two levels: the “fun” level, where one can see chemistry in action, and the detailed chemistry online. Let me be clear about “fun” though—these are proper experiments that are useful, accessible, and rich in chemical principles. We did not make goo or some silly sodium bicarbonate acid volcano for entertainment, with the chemistry glossed over. These are (very) enjoyable chemical education experiments.
Using a Mel Chemistry Kit, I have had the opportunity to teach my children a little chemistry by stealth and show them the sort of thing that I do all day long. The kit consists of a series of experiment sets that come by post. Combined with a starter kit, the experiment sets allow some simple, elegant experiments to be conducted at home that are interesting, fun, and pedagogically valuable. The sets came with everything we needed, from gloves and glassware to chemicals in little squeezy bottles. The instructions are mainly visual and are supplemented by a wealth of online chemical information about the experiments. The experiments are thus very accessible at two levels: the “fun” level, where one can see chemistry in action, and the detailed chemistry online. Let me be clear about “fun” though—these are proper experiments that are useful, accessible, and rich in chemical principles. We did not make goo or some silly sodium bicarbonate acid volcano for entertainment, with the chemistry glossed over. These are (very) enjoyable chemical education experiments.
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The experiment sets are packaged beautifully, and thought has been given to making the experiments easy to conduct. Little things stand out, such as spare chemicals to repeat the experiment, a second set of gloves for adults, and the use of different shapes to avoid confusion when an experiment requires use of two different types of paper. There is even a paper clip (pre-bent) to help open the safety catch on the bottles. I was impressed to see that there were even instructions for safe disposal.
In the first experiment, my eight-year-old son and I made batteries that function like AA batteries (see the photo). |
Home made zinc-carbon batteries.
Image credit: Mel Science
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We combined the constituent chemicals, packaged them into tubes, placed the tubes in the electrodes, popped the completed batteries into a standard battery holder, and powered different LEDs. The only minor missing instruction was the one telling you which electrical wire to attach to which leg of the diode—but like true scientists, we figured it out by trying different combinations.
Not to be left out, my eleven-year-old son joined me for a second chemistry session. There were three experiments in the set, using potassium permanganate, iodine, and sodium disulphite. We investigated the diffusion of iodine into plastic, oxidised the ink from a biro to make it disappear, and reduced purple iodine splodges to iodide. The oxidation of the biro ink was particularly fun, involving mixing of chemicals that dissolve and change colour. While waiting for the oxidation, my son turned to me and said “What, exactly, is going on?” He wanted to know the science and was genuinely interested in my answer.
The experiments are aimed at children aged 12 or older, but my younger test subjects had fun and I wish I had had a kit like this at their age. There are magnifying glasses for cell phones and glassware for other experiments. There is also a viewer for a smart phone to visualise the chemicals. The latter was curious, as I think my children preferred the chemicals to visualisation. My only criticism from trying these two experiments was that the plastic tray provided could be a bit bigger to catch spillages. I borrowed this kit from a friend, so I have not tried more experiments, but I want to. The kit is designed for home schooling chemistry, but for anyone who can afford it and wants to awaken an interest in chemistry in their children this is a very good place to start.
The Mel Chemistry Kit is available for purchase from http://melscience.com/en.
Not to be left out, my eleven-year-old son joined me for a second chemistry session. There were three experiments in the set, using potassium permanganate, iodine, and sodium disulphite. We investigated the diffusion of iodine into plastic, oxidised the ink from a biro to make it disappear, and reduced purple iodine splodges to iodide. The oxidation of the biro ink was particularly fun, involving mixing of chemicals that dissolve and change colour. While waiting for the oxidation, my son turned to me and said “What, exactly, is going on?” He wanted to know the science and was genuinely interested in my answer.
The experiments are aimed at children aged 12 or older, but my younger test subjects had fun and I wish I had had a kit like this at their age. There are magnifying glasses for cell phones and glassware for other experiments. There is also a viewer for a smart phone to visualise the chemicals. The latter was curious, as I think my children preferred the chemicals to visualisation. My only criticism from trying these two experiments was that the plastic tray provided could be a bit bigger to catch spillages. I borrowed this kit from a friend, so I have not tried more experiments, but I want to. The kit is designed for home schooling chemistry, but for anyone who can afford it and wants to awaken an interest in chemistry in their children this is a very good place to start.
The Mel Chemistry Kit is available for purchase from http://melscience.com/en.
