Educational Resources

NCW 2023 The Healing Power of Chemistry

Find educational resources for this year's National Chemistry Week theme and other materials for your event, including outreach activities, articles, and videos.

Explore and understand how chemistry plays an essential role in healing. Learn more about how the body heals itself, how nature has provided us with medicines, how milk of magnesia works in your stomach, and much more!

National Chemistry Week logo with test tube

Hands-on Activity: Cloudy with a Chance of Clear Color

Mix a medicine called milk of magnesia with red cabbage juice and vinegar, rather than your own stomach acid, for some surprising color changes. Find the activity in the latest issue of Celebrating Chemistry.

Vimeo ID: 847469699


Elementary & Middle School (Ages 5-13)

From Adventures in Chemistry (Grades K-5) 
From Inquiry in Action
  • Designing an Absorbency Test
    Test to see which of 4 materials absorbs water. View an animation that shows how water molecules are attracted to paper and felt and move up through spaces in the material. 
From Middle School Chemistry
  • The Ups and Downs of Thermometers
    Do a hands-on activity and view molecular model animations to discover how thermometers work.
  • Temperature Changes in Dissolving
    Use a thermometer while dissolving a few different household substances in water to explore the inner workings of instant hot and cold packs.  Then, view animations to see how the breaking and making of bonds during dissolving causes these temperature changes.
  • Neutralizing Acids and Bases
    Explore the color changes that result when citric acid and sodium carbonate are added to universal indicator solution. View animations to find out how acids and bases neutralize each other.

More Resources for Educators

  • Celebrating Chemistry
    Celebrating Chemistry is a publication designed to engage and educate children (grades 4-6) in the basic principles of chemistry and is available in both English and Spanish.
  • Meg A. Mole Career Profiles
    Read all about Meg's many adventures! These interviews are an excellent resource for teachers to inform their students about the activities chemists perform every day. Need to explain a mole? Check out our “Meet the Moles!” web page.
  • ChemMatters
    ChemMatters is a magazine that helps high school students find connections between chemistry and the world around them. Check out our article on Laura Hoch, a material innovation chemist for Patagonia. 

            

General Interest Resources

Find NCW-themed resources for college students and adults.

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