"Who Wants To Stay After School?"
Does it look like these students are in an
after school chemistry class? Colloids,
polymers and chemical reactions have
never been so much fun!
Sacred Heart School presented special after school science classes for grades 3 through 6 recently. The fall semester program was entitled “Snot-In-The-Box.” The Loose in the Lab creators certainly know how to grab the attention of young science hopefuls. With kit names like “Snot in the Box,” what school age child wouldn’t be interested?? In fact, so many children signed up that the program had to be broken into two separate groups to accommodate all the blossoming lab rats. Parents of the participants paid for the all-inclusive package to the tune of just over $30. The Snot in the Box kit contained all the ingredients, instructions and explanations necessary to create ten goopy, disgusting and incredibly fun scientific reactions.
Ms. Laura Powell, with assistance from several other teachers, hosted the sessions in the SHS science lab during aftercare time. From the laughs and squeals during the memorable experiments, one would never have known the children were (shhhhh) learning chemistry.
From ‘the coffee cup catastrophe’ where students watched Styrofoam coffee cups disintegrate when they met with acetone to making giant ‘foam gnomes’ with polyurethane, the kids were at no loss for mind-engaging activities. The study of colloids and polymers proved to be so entertaining that several of the children didn’t want the classes to end. And, yes, they learned how to make a slime resembling snot by mixing a polyvinyl alcohol solution with a sodium tetraborate solution.
This was a great introduction to chemical reactions, polymers and the world of chemistry. Principal Bridget Martin said that there would be another scientific aftercare programs scheduled for next semester! No doubt it will all be standing-room only!
