Educational Resources

Elementary & Middle School (Ages 5–13)

From Adventures in Chemistry

• Bugs on the Run – The chameleon is hungry! Use your mouse to raise and lower platforms to send bugs to him. The more bugs you send him and the faster you do it, the higher your score will be.
• L is for Lens – Make a lens with a drop of water to see the small bodies of creepy crawlies more clearly.
• N is for Nose  – Use your sense of smell to find food. Insects have other ways to detect aromas and find food. 

From Middle School Chemistry

• Surface Tension – Observe several phenomena related to the polarity of water molecules, and observe a water strider. 
  

From American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT)

Consider joining AACT for access to many more resources for chemistry teachers year-round and connect with a community of K–12 chemistry teachers.

Other Resources

• Nature of Dye – Make bright shades of red, orange, and purple using crushed insects and acid-base chemistry.
• Chemistry Makes Scents – Follow your nose to investigate a pair of mirror-image molecules.

High School (Ages 14–18)

Landmark Lesson Plan Legacy of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

• Lesson Plan – The following inquiry-based student activities are designed for use in high school lesson planning. The handout, activities and video will help students understand the reasons for the widespread use of the insecticide DDT earlier in history as well as its subsequent banning. They will be able to see the lasting effect Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring has had on chemistry itself, our view of the environment and how we weigh the benefits and drawbacks of new materials and technology.

From ChemMatters

ChemMatters is a magazine that helps high school students find connections between chemistry and the world around them.

• Eating with Your Eyes: The Chemistry of Food Colorings – A large amount of the foods we eat contains food colorings. We tell you where they come from, how they work, and the difference between natural and artificial food colorings.
• Profile | Tyler Thrasher Makes Dead Bugs Sparkle - About three years ago, as Tyler Thrasher was finishing a college degree in computer animation, he decided that he didn’t want to be a computer animator. For inspiration, he flipped through his notebooks, in which he had been sketching objects that fascinated him. His caving excursions exposed him to sparkling minerals, and led him to produce crystal drawings.

From AACT 

Consider joining AACT for access to many more resources for chemistry teachers year-round and connect with a community of K–12 chemistry teachers.

• Video: Oversexed Moths are Ruining Apples for Everybody
  
• Accompanying Activity for Video: Oversexed Moths are Ruining Apples for Everybody

All Ages and Stages

• Butterflies – Review this amazing collection of activities, magnified images, posters, and citizen science projects help you engage the public through the fascinating world of butterflies.
• Earth Day – A best of list of resources from the National Informal STEM Education Network, NASA, and others featuring hands-on activities, citizen science projects, apps, poster, and interactives, to celebrate our favorite planet with our favorite people.