Educational Resources

CCEW 2020 Protecting Our Planet through Chemistry

Discover articles, activities, presentations, and videos aligned to this year's theme.

Featured Resources

CCEW Virtual Teach-In on Household Food Waste Management (Vimeo)

Learn what kind of "food waster" you are and what steps can be done to improve your food waste management practices.


Chemistry at Home Resources on the Earth

Find a newly curated set of educational resources about the Earth perfect for aiding parents and teachers in student enrichment during this time of distance learning.


Celebrating Chemistry Coloring Book

Download these coloring sheets with selected artwork from the children's publication Celebrating Chemistry. Share your finished pictures online with the hashtag #CCEW!


Endangered Elements Color by Numbers (PDF)

Find out how endangered each element on the periodic table is by coloring in the element based on the numbers.


ChemCatcher

ChemCatcher (PDF)

Cut and fold the ChemCatcher, then play to reveal 50 years of Earth Day trivia.


Timeline Thumbnail

Earth Day 50th Anniversary Timeline (PDF)

Print out this timeline highlighting advances in green chemistry and sustainability from 1720 to 2020. Also available for download as a PowerPoint.


Celebrating Chemistry

  • Aimed at children ages 9-12
  • Contains articles, activities, and games
  • Available in English and Spanish

CCEW 2025 Glaciers: Hot Topic, Cool Chemistry!

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

 

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Elementary School Resources

From Adventures in Chemistry
  • “F” is for Float
    Water that melts from glaciers is not salty like sea water. Discover a difference between fresh and salty water by trying to float a peanut or carrot slice in each.  
  • “I” is for Ice
    Glaciers are melting as even the coldest parts of the world become warmer. Test different methods to keep an ice cube frozen longer.
  • Condensation Station
    People who work or play in cold places may choose to wear specialized goggles with an anti-fog coating. This is because vision-correcting glasses or regular sunglasses can develop a layer of fog on the inside of the glasses, making it difficult to see. Find out what causes foggy eyewear by making fog on clear plastic cup.
  • Heat up and Cool down
    Glaciers stretch over land and extend into the ocean. The portion over the water is vulnerable because of something that happens when warm water and cold water come together. Find out with this activity and dramatic demo. 
From Inquiry in Action

Kindergarten Lessons

  • What Makes it Rain?
    Students use tiny drops of water on a laminated drawing of a cloud to investigate the question: What makes it rain?
  • What Makes It Snow?
    Students watch a video of a snowflake forming and use cotton swabs to make a model of a snowflake to investigate the question: What makes it snow?
  • Keeping Warm in the Cold
    Students make an insulating “coat” for a cup of warm water to investigate the question: How does a coat keep you warm in the winter?

Second Grade Lessons

  • Changes Caused by Heating and Cooling
    Students warm butter until it melts and then cool it until it turns hard again as they investigate the question: How do substances change when they are warmed and cooled?

Fifth Grade Lessons

  • Dissolving and Back Again
    Students dissolve salt in water and allow the water to evaporate to investigate the question: What process causes salt to dissolve in water and then the water to evaporate?
  • The Water Cycle
    Students use water, ice, and plastic wrap to model the ocean and cold upper atmosphere to investigate the question: What are the main processes in the water cycle that make it rain?
  • The Density of Liquids
    Students compare the weight of equal volumes of water and vegetable oil to investigate the question: Is vegetable oil more or less dense than water?
  • Conservation of Mass
    Students measure the mass of substances before and after melting, dissolving, and a chemical change to investigate the question: Is mass conserved during physical and chemical changes?

Middle School Resources

From Middle School Chemistry: Big Ideas about the Very Small
  • Molecules Matter
    Observe a drop of water hanging from a dropper and drops of water beading up on wax paper. Then look at a molecular animation that models the motion of water molecules. 
  • Molecules in Motion
    Add food coloring to hot and cold water to see whether heating or cooling affects the speed of water molecules. 
  • The Ups and Downs of Thermometers
    Place a thermometer in hot and cold water. A molecular animation explains observations.
  • Evaporation
    Find out whether heat affects the rate of evaporation. Molecular animations explain observations.
  • Condensation
    Find out whether cooling water vapor affects the rate of condensation. Then relate evaporation and condensation to the water cycle.
  • Freezing
    Mix ice and salt in a metal can. It gets so cold that droplets of water and ice form. A molecular animation shows how water molecules are arranged as ice.
  • Melting
    Compare the rate of melting of ice placed on different surfaces.  A molecular animation shows the way water molecules are arranged as ice and how they slide past each other as ice melts.
  • Density of Water
    Measure the mass of different volumes of water. Is the density always the same?
  • Sink and Float for Solids
    Compare equal volumes of wax-and-water and clay-and-water. How can your observations be used to determine whether an object will sink or float in water.
  • Sink and Float for Liquids
    Why does a tealight candle float in water and sink in alcohol? Compare equal volumes of water and isopropyl alcohol to find out.
  • Temperature and Density
    Is there a density difference between hot and cold water? Use a pipet to squirt cold water (dyed blue) and then hot water (dyed red) into the center of a cup of room temperature water to find out.

Celebrating Chemistry (Ages 9-12)

Classroom Resources

From the 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.

Elementary & Middle School:

High School:

 

Articles

From ChemMatters Magazine

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

External Resources

Glaciers can be noisy. Listen to the following recordings:

Illustrated Poem Contest for K-12

Illustrated Poem Contest - As part of every CCEW celebration, ACS sponsors a national illustrated poem contest for K-12 students. To participate, contact your local section CCEW Coordinator.

AACT Lesson Plan Contest for K-12 Teachers

AACT is excited to offer a content writing opportunity for K–12 teachers of chemistry. The contest is open to current AACT members. Participants will submit their idea for one exciting and unique Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW) themed lesson plan. The 2025 theme is Glaciers: Hot Topic, Cool Chemistry! Chemists care about glaciers because they are an indicator of the Earth's health and provide a record of the Earth's environmental history over millenia, but they are decreasing due to warming of its oceans and atmosphere.

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis through March 24, 2025, with multiple winners selected. Winners will earn $200 and a CCEW goody bag for their participation. Learn more and enter today!

More Resources for Educators

General Interest

Find CCEW-themed resources for college students and adults.

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Contact the ACS Office of Science Outreach
outreach@acs.org