Chemical Education Today
Reports from Other Journals
News from Online: Come Home to Chemistry by Kimberly Destefani
The classroom laboratory is not the only place children can experience and observe chemistry. They can observe plenty of chemistry in their homes if they are encouraged to look hard enough. What may seem like their usual surroundings is actually a diverse world of many chemical applications. Chemistry exists in the materials used to create their home, in the yard they play in, and also inside the home. Some of these household objects can even be used to produce fun and interesting experiments!
http://www.dit.ie/DIT/science/chemistry/rsccomp/ competition01/hawkesclancy/index.html To start off your discovery of the chemicals in the home, take a virtual tour! This Web site includes a virtual house tour that shows you the chemicals in different parts of the home. Take a voyage through the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and garage to learn about the chemicals and tools you use in each
Building the Home Green Home Building http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_acc/sec_article.asp? CID=30&DID=520 Driving through housing construction sites can teach children a lot about how their homes are made. But do they realize the many different ways a home can be built? You can discover some environmentally friendly ways a home can be made by visiting the American Chemistry Council site. It discusses the ways in which walls and roofing systems can be manufactured with more environmentally friendly materials. The ability to use plastic to replace such components, such as windows, frames, and patios is also discussed. As more environmentally friendly building solutions are discovered, more sources for information are being created. You can also find
All about the Home
Chemistry of Soil
All about the Home
World Wide Web Addresses
of those rooms. This is a great interactive way to start searching for the chemistry in your home.
http://www.dit.ie/DIT/science/chemistry/rsccomp/ competition01/hawkesclancy/index.html
http://www.plant-care.com/blog/29/potting-soil-chemistryfor-healthy-plants-and-healthy-garden/
Building the Home
http://www.wtamu.edu/~crobinson/DrDirt.htm
Green Home Building
http://www.kidsgardening.com/
http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_acc/ sec_article.asp?CID=30&DID=520
Fertilizers
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/index.htm
http://www.gardening123.com/fertilizer/ default.asp?MS=4&SS=41&tab=1 http://www.ext.vt.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Docs.woa/wa/ getcat?cat=ir-ln-fr
Vinyl Siding
http://www.vinyl.org/
Compost Heaps
http://www.vinylinfo.org/attributes/index.html
http://home.howstuffworks.com/composting.htm
http://www.vinylsiding.org/
http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/factsheets/compost.php
Recycled Brick
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2003/111-16/forum.html Chemistry of Cement
http://www.uvi.edu/Physics/SCI3xxWeb/Structure/ ChemOfCement.html http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/architecture/ concrete.htm http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/journal/issues/2003/Jun/ abs623.html
http://www.bottlebiology.org/investigations/ decomp_main.html Home Safety Smoke Detectors
http://www.chemsoc.org/chembytes/ezine/1999/ eic_jul99.htm Chemicals in Your Home
http://www.epa.gov/kidshometour/ Fire Extinguishers
In the Yard Home and Garden pH Indicators
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/acidsandbases/a/ aa060703a.htm
http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/LilburnES/PromoteGA/ everyday%20items/fireextinguishers_intro.html http://www.fireextinguisher.com/ http://www.hanford.gov/fire/safety/extingrs.htm
Access date for all sites Aug 2006
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Chemical Education Today
Figure 1. Flower petal extracts can contain anthocyanins, which function as natural pH indicators.
information on green home building at http://www.green homebuilding.com/index.htm.
Vinyl Siding The exterior of a home can be made of many different materials depending on the local environment or the personal interests of the home owner. One of the most protective and durable home sidings is made from the adaptable polymer, poly (vinyl chloride), or vinyl. The Web site http:// www.vinyl.org/ not only describes its uses on the home, but also the many other uses of vinyl throughout the world. To learn more about the environmental attributes of vinyl, you can visit http://www.vinylinfo.org/attributes/index.html. This site discusses the positive aspects of using vinyl in comparison with other building materials. At http://www.vinylsiding.org/ you can see the many types of vinyl available to builders and home owners. Recycled Brick http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2003/111-16/forum.html Those bricks that surround a house that seem so indestructible can actually be remolded and reused! This Web site explores the ways in which recycled brick is more energy efficient and the ways in which it is created. While this concept is still in its beginning stages, it has great potential to change the brick manufacturing industry. Chemistry of Cement Ever wonder how the cement that forms the foundation of your home and your sidewalk is made? Environmental Building News has created the Web site http://www.uvi.edu/ Physics/SCI3xxWeb/Structure/ChemOfCement.html that goes through the chemical reactions necessary to form the cement powder. Then the ideal ratios of cement to sand, crushed stone, and water are detailed. This information can be turned into a simple activity using tools from your local hardware store. [See also these resources in this issue of JCE: Classroom Activity 83, Chemistry of Cement by Patricia Mason, on pp 1472A–B; Concrete by Mary Anne White on p 1425.] More information on the history of cement, dating back to ancient times, is at http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/architecture/concrete.htm. A previous JCE article by White provides extensive background on concrete. For the abstract of that article, see http:// jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/journal/issues/2003/Jun/abs623.html. www.JCE.DivCHED.org
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In the Yard
Home and Garden pH Indicators h t t p : / / c h e m i s t r y. a b o u t . c o m / c s / a c i d s a n d b a s e s / a / aa060703a.htm While there are more than enough chemicals to examine within your home, the backyard affords additional reactions to explore. This Web site includes a fun way to teach students how pH and indicators work (Figure 1). Many household chemicals and products are great natural indicators of acids and bases, including blueberries, grapes, and vanilla extract. Chemistry of Soil http://www.plant-care.com/blog/29/potting-soil-chemistryfor-healthy-plants-and-healthy-garden/ Why is the grass always greener on the other side of the fence? Well it may be because the soil is more chemically balanced there. Many factors affect the efficiency of soil, which can change from year to year. Many tests and soil analyses can be performed to see whether you have the soil to support your most ideal yard whether it be a forest of trees, a garden of flowers, or even desert cactus. A Web site that details many classroom activities related to soil is http:// www.wtamu.edu/~crobinson/DrDirt.htm, which includes sponge soil activities and soil pudding. Another interesting site is http://www.kidsgardening.com. Fertilizers There are many ways to improve the composition of soil. One is to add fertilizers that provide valuable nutrients to your yard. When shopping for a fertilizer, which type should you get? How does it affect your yard? Information such as this can be found at http://www.gardening123.com/fertilizer/ default.asp?MS=4&SS=41&tab=1, which is a site that describes all aspects of fertilizer for home use. At the Web site http://www.ext.vt.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Docs.woa/wa/ getcat?cat=ir-ln-fr you can find more detailed information on the chemistry behind fertilizers. Compost Heaps http://home.howstuffworks.com/composting.htm While you may want to avoid that huge rotting pile in the corner of your yard, the chemistry behind how it works is very informative. This site goes into detail on how the compost heap is helpful to the environment and how to create
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photo: Jeff Miller, University of Wisconsin–Madison
photo: Anna Moulder, ABC Local Radio, Tamworth
Reports from Other Journals
Figure 2. Just a few of the many chemicals found in the home.
Figure 3. An attendee practices how to effectively use a fire extinguisher during a University of Wisconsin–Madison fire safety training session.
one for your own back yard. A great laboratory experiment is discussed that allows students to see how the layers of the compost heap differ over time. If you want to create your own compost heap, visit http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/factsheets/ compost.php for detailed instructions. Students can build their own decomposition column using two-liter plastic soda bottles and the instructions at http://www.bottlebiology.org/investigations/decomp_main.html. Home Safety
Smoke Detectors Every house should have a smoke detector. It’s important to know how to react to the alarm, but do you also know how the detector works? At the Web site http://www.chemsoc. org/chembytes/ezine/1999/eic_jul99.htm you can find information on the types of smoke detectors available. The site also discusses the history of smoke detectors and how they have evolved to their modern style. Chemicals in Your Home The Environmental Protection Agency has always tried to make sure not only that the environment is safe but also that our children are. At http://www.epa.gov/kidshometour/ is
detailed information on the chemicals that children can find around the house. Similar to the virtual tour mentioned above, this site allows you to travel through a virtual home to find the chemicals children can also find—such as cleaners, paints, and pesticides (Figure 2).
Fire Extinguishers Children see fire extinguishers not only in the home, but also at school or in local stores. There are many different types of fire extinguishers available for use depending on the fire being fought (Figure 3). Therefore it is important to teach children which type of extinguisher to use in the home depending on the type of fire, including instances when a fire extinguisher should not be used! For more information on fire extinguishers and how they work, visit a Web presentation developed by a team of elementary school students and their teacher at http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/LilburnES/Promote GA/everyday%20items/fireextinguishers_intro.html. In-depth information on fire extinguishers can be found at http:// www.fireextinguisher.com/ and http://www.hanford.gov/fire/ safety/extingrs.htm. Kimberly Destefani is a JCE student intern at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX;
[email protected].
JCE Resource Papers: good classroom resources, well described, theme-based: Looking for theme-based references to JCE articles, complete with suggestions for their use? The resource papers listed were constructed around previous National Chemistry Week themes by Erica K. Jacobsen of the JCE staff. They are similar in concept and execution to JCE Resources for Chemistry and the Home (pp 1444–1446 of this issue). These are great references—in print or online at JCE Online.
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JCE Resources for Chemistry and Toys; 2005, 82, 1443–1446
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JCE Resources for Chemistry: Health and Wellness; 2004, 81, 1390–1396
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JCE Resources for Chemistry and the Atmosphere; 2003, 80, 1106– 1112
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JCE Resources for Chemistry and Cleaning; 2002, 79, 1162–1167
JCE Resources for Chemistry and Art; 2001, 78, 1316–1321 JCE Resources in Food Chemistry; 2000, 77, 1256–1267
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