ACS Kids Zone
ACS Kids Zones are events that feature science activities conducted by ACS members to teach the public about the importance of chemistry.
Recent Events
Virtual ACS Kids Zone - A Presidential Outreach Event
Viewers explored the wonders of chemistry with the online science event featuring Miss Camille Schrier -- Miss America 2020 -- and more distinguished guests. Host Bibiana Campos Seijo, Editor-in-Chief of Chemical & Engineering News, led viewers through four different virtual hands-on activities conducted by popular STEM advocates. This #ACSKidsZone event was offered in two languages, English and Spanish. Participate in the event by downloading the activity sheets below, acquiring your activity supplies, and following along with the recording!
Activities and Presenters
Hosted by Bibiana Campos Seijo, Editor-in-Chief of Chemical & Engineering News. Activity write-ups and educational resources from the event are available below.
Build a Lemon Battery
English Presenter: Mr. Jonte Lee, District of Columbia Public Schools
Spanish Presenter: MSc. Carolina Lizarazo Castillo, Universidad de Los Andes
Deeper Dive
- Celebrating Chemistry: "Water Wire" and "Hooray for Batteries" in the CCED 2011 issue (en Español)
- ACS Reactions: How to keep your phone battery charged longer
- Periodic Graphics: Metal-air batteries, present and future
- Chemical & Engineering News: “Amy Prieto is Building Safer, More Powerful Batteries”
Explore Plastics with Slime
English Presenter: Ms. Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020
Spanish Presenter: Dr. Rafael Vásquez, Florida State University-Panama
Deeper Dive
Innovate with Bioplastics
English Presenter: Ms. Mollie Enright, Beyond Benign
Spanish Presenter: MSc. Fiorella Olivera-Venturo, Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Deeper Dive
Investigate with Chromatography
English Presenter: Dr. Darryl Boyd, US Naval Research Laboratory
Spanish Presenter: Dr. Ingrid Montes, ACS Board of Directors
Deeper Dive
Past Events
Presidential Outreach Event
Fall 2019
San Diego, CA
More than 300 people attended the ACS Kids Zone on Saturday, August 24 at the Fleet Science Center during the Fall 2019 Meeting & Expo. Attendees conducted eight hands-on activities focused on the ACS National Meeting & Expo theme of “Chemistry & Water,” practiced being Science Storytellers with Chemical & Engineering News, celebrated the International Year of the Periodic Table, and received giveaway bags with periodic table posters and other educational merchandise. The Facebook event reached a total of 49,600 people and got over 2,000 responses. View pictures from the event on Facebook.
Presidential Outreach Event
Spring 2019
Orlando, FL
Over 340 people attended the ACS Kids Zone on Saturday, March 30 at the Orlando Science Center (OSC) during the Spring 2019 Meeting & Expo. Attendees conducted nine different hands-on activities, which were facilitated by ACS members and students. Over 200 people were offered free tickets to the museum through a special partnership between ACS and OSC. Nearly all event attendees reported that they learned something new or interesting at the event, and that they would attend another event like this in the future. View pictures from the event on Facebook.
2018 National Chemistry Week (NCW) Kids Zone
Washington, DC
Over 320 attendees engaged in eight hands-on activities at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum on Tuesday, October 23 to celebrate National Chemistry Week and its 2018 space theme “Chemistry is Out of This World.” The museum and ACS hosted a full day of hands-on activities, speakers, and stage demonstrations, including building batteries with zinc and copper washers and launching rockets with citric acid and baking soda.
Presidential Outreach Event
Fall 2018
Boston, MA
Over 700 people attended the ACS Kids Zone on Saturday, August 18 at the Boston Children’s Museum during the 256th National Meeting & Exposition. Attendees conducted 13 different hands-on activities, which were facilitated by ACS members and partners, and included scientists and educators from Beyond Benign, Dow Chemical Company, MIT Museum, Museum of Science, and Science Storytellers with C&EN. View pictures from the event on Facebook.
2018 March for Science
Washington, DC
On Saturday, April 14, ACS joined the March for Science and other organizations on the National Mall in Washington, DC for global teach-ins and science festivities.
During the event, nearly 400 people visited the ACS Kids Zone. Children participated in hands-on activities geared towards the 2018 Chemists Celebrate Earth Week theme, "Dive into Marine Chemistry". Activities included Lose the Blues with CO2, Magic Nuudles, and UV-Detecting Beads. View pictures from the event on Facebook.
5th USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo
Washington, DC
The USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo took place on April 7-8, 2018 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The event was the nation’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) featuring more than 3,000 hands-on exhibits, 30 stage shows, and more! View pictures from the event on Facebook.
Presidential Outreach Event
Spring 2018
New Orleans, LA
This year, the ACS partnered with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission to host a Kids Zone community event on Saturday, March 17 at the Lyons Recreation Center. The free event provided families with the chance to conduct hands-on activities, receive goodie bags that included the ACS’s children’s publication, Celebrating Chemistry, learn more about ACS’s community partners and celebrate 15 years of Chemists Celebrate Earth Week with the theme “Dive into Marine Chemistry." View pictures from the event on Facebook.
Download Some ACS Kids Zone Experiments
- Fizzy Fun!: There are a lot of ways to tell one mineral from another.What happens when you put acid on different minerals? What does the acid test tell you?
- Iron for Breakfast: Is your cereal magnetic? Let’s see! Using strong magnets, we will pull iron, an essential nutrient, from breakfast cereals. Kids and parents alike are amazed at the amounts of this element that can be found in delicious food!
- Lincoln Drops: Predict how many drops of water can be placed on the head of a penny before any of the water spills off.
- Magic Nuudles: Using biodegradable building blocks made from cornstarch, create fun shapes out of Magic Nuudles and learn about polymers.
- Magic Sand: When we play at the beach, we build sandcastles and make sculptures from sand. In this activity, children will observe how another type of sand behaves when mixed with water.
- Producing Oxygen Gas: In this chemistry activity, children can witness and feel a chemical reaction in their hands. It is the creation of oxygen gas from simple household materials.
- Seashells: Antacids of the Ocean: Have you ever wondered what coral or seashells are made of? In this chemistry activity, see how calcium carbonate is affected by carbon dioxide.
- Starch Search: Discover which foods contain starch and which do not. We will test for the molecule in foods with the same detector pens used to distinguish counterfeit dollar bills, which contain starch, from real money.
- UV Detecting Beads and UV Blockers: Using UV detecting beads and UV blockers, come explore which products help protect our skin, eyes and medicine from being damaged by UV light.
For more information about an ACS Kids Zone event, please contact outreach@acs.org.
Highlights
To see more outreach event photos, visit our Facebook page ACS Outreach.
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