Elementary Chemistry for the Home Educated Child

So we're doing a 1/2 year elementary chemistry course. Just to make sure the kids get all they can out of the class, I'm pairing it with some pre-calculus as well (just kidding on that last part. Sorry, lame geeky homeschooling humor.) This course could possibly be done in less time than I'm allotting for it, but I'm dragging it out a bit, playing more of the game ideas that come with the curriculum, and making sure the kids have ample time to soak in some of these complex concepts (which are introduced in a fun, elementary way.) This course has been a wonderful introduction to the world of Chemistry, and the bonus is that I can brag to all my friends that my kids know at least 3 dozen or more symbols from the periodic table of elements. That's what it's all about....my kids knowing more than yours. Just kidding. No, really I'm not. ;-)

So here's my binder. It's for ages 8-13, but to get the most out of it, a student would benefit from being on the upper end of that age range. My youngest can hold her own, but her understanding isn't the same as my oldest.

This is one of the game ideas from the curriculum that I put together: The Periodic Table Game. Wow, that sounds like a game a totally geeked out homeschooling parent would make their kids play.

A word about the game pieces. This is a homemade game from some photocopied pages of a colorful period table which was then glued down onto some poster board. I then needed to provide some coins, a pair of di, and game player pieces. I happened to have an old "Star Wars" game picked up a couple years ago at a rummage sale. It's missing many of the pieces, so it's used for salvage. That's where Princess Leia and Hans Solo come from. Hans and Leia take on the periodic table of elements. This game is starting to sound less geeky.

Player One

Player Two

Let the game playing begin. The point of the game was to help the kids to become more familiar with not only the symbols of the elements, but also the valence of each (only the highest valence was listed for each element to make it easier), and to familiarize kids with the "groups" of elements (e.g., gases, metals, etc.)