When asked to come up with some fun summer activities and tie in chemistry, this is the final product. I know so little about chemistry, but found this fun and educational. So, all you fellow ELA teachers, rejoice! This is for you too.

1. CHEMISTRY FOR IDIOTS
 Where did this idea of chemistry begin?
 A) Ancient Africa
 B) The Middle ages (1066-1300‟s)
 C) Modern France
 D) Ancient Greece

2. THAT WAS A LONG, LONG, LONG, TIME AGO!
 Democritus (456 BCE-370 BCE) and
Leucippus (teacher): Brilliance not feeble-
minded!
 Democritus theorized that all matter is made
up of atoms and that atoms are physically
indivisible, infinite in number, in constant
motion and are indestructible.

3. WHAT IS AN ATOM?
 http://www.5min.com/Video/Learn-about-
Atoms-117575539

4. WHAT’S NEXT?
 Glad you asked: Math! Democritus also was
the first to notice (that‟s geometry) that a
cone or pyramid has one-third the volume of
a cylinder or prism respectively with the
same base and height. Also, a cone divided
in a plane parallel to its base produces two
surfaces (Wheelwright 1966).

5. FORMULA FOR FINDING THE VOLUME OF A CONE
OR PYRAMID:
 V (volume) = 1/3 r2h
 What‟s that mean?
 It means to find the volume of a cone, you
need to multiply 1/3 times  (3.14…) r
(radius)2 times the hypotenuse. You try it!

6. ICE CREAM ANYONE?
I want ice cream!
How much ice cream can we fit into this waffle cone?
We must figure the volume first so we can watch our calories!
Below we are given the height (h) of 7 inches and the width, which is 3 ¼
inches.
So how do we find the radius? Well the radius is half way between each side
Of the cone, so we need to divide 3 ¼ in half! (that‟s 1.625)
V (volume) = 1/3 r2h
Height: (back) 7" - Width: 3 1/4"

7. CALCULATE!
Okay 1/3 times r2h
We need to break this into steps: 1/3 (*1.625 2-=26)
Now we need to multiply 26 * 7 and divide the whole thing by 1/3!
1/3 ( 182.34) = roughly 60.72.
Now that‟s a lot of ice cream!

8. WHY ARE WE DOING MATH IN THE SUMMER?
 Okay, let‟s get back to the chemists…or as
they evolved into ALCHEMISTS.
 These guys lived from (1000-1650) and
they actually thought they could change
the chemical compounds of matter like
lead and other metals into gold and they
even tried to develop a formula (elixir) for
prolonging life!

9. WHAT IS ALCHEMY?
 English lesson…etymology (history of words)
 See where this word came from!
 From Old French alkemie, arquemie (French
alchimie) < Medieval Latin alkimia < Arabic
al-kīmiyā‟) < article al +Ancient Greek χημεία
or χυμεία (chēmeia or chymeia) originally “a mingling,
infusion, juice, liquid, especially as extracted from
plants” and later “alchemy”, < perhaps from
Χημία (Chēmia), “„black earth (ancient name for
Egypt)‟”) and/or χυμός (chymos), “„juice, sap‟”).
(Compare Spanish alquimia and Italian alchimia)
(wiktionary.com).

10. PANACEA
 You didn‟t know you were getting an English
lesson too, did you?
 Panacea-this comes from the Greek,
πανάκεια (panakeia) & Latin, panacēa and it
means all cure or all healing.

11. SCIENCE OR MYTH?
 Is there a cure-all for every disease and
malady (disease or disorder) known to man?
 No, but that did not stop the alchemists from
trying to find it.
 They did lead to the science of inorganic
chemistry, so not everything they did was
weird!

12. THE SITH PRACTICED ALCHEMY TOO…

13. EVIL SITH MONSTERS
The Sith, dark forces against the Empire in
Star Wars, used alchemy to change creatures
Into monsters for their evil purposes.

14. NOW IT’S TIME FOR SOME FUN!
 Excite some molecules!
 http://web.visionlearning.com/custom/chemis
try/animations/CHE1.3-an-animations.shtml
 This is what the atoms of the first 11
elements look like.
 Now try these experiments to see how some
common household chemicals react to
eachother…

15. OOOH…LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY COLORS!
 Make sure you have an adult with you
before you do this experiment!
 1. Take a pine cone and place it in a fire-safe
container, like a grill or on a solid fireproof
surface outdoors.
 Light the pinecone with a match and it will
burn with a green flame. When heated up,
boric acid creates the green flame.

16. BORON: (ATOMIC NUMBER: 5
SYMBOL: B)
 2. Sprinkle it with Boric Acid, which you may
purchase at a pharmacy or farm supply
store.

17. VIOLA!
 3. Light the pinecone with a match and it will
burn with a green flame. When heated up,
boric acid creates the green flame.

18. HERE’S SOMETHING WE ALL LIKE: ROCK CANDY!
 Follow these steps to make your own rock
candy. Give it to your little sister or brother
and watch mom have a fit! He, he!

19. FYI: SUGAR IS ALSO KNOWN AS SUCROSE
 The sucrose molecule is a disaccharide
derived from glucose and fructose with the
molecular formula C12H22O11.
 That means that it is made from combining 12 atoms of
Carbon, 22 of Hydrogen and 11 of Oxygen!
 So, in this case 12 + 22 + 11 = 1!

20. STEP ONE:
 Gather these ingredients-
 2 cups water
 4 cups granulated sugar
 1/2-1 tsp flavoring extract or oil (optional)
 food coloring (optional)
 glass jar
 skewer or thread (see below)

21. PREPARATION:
 1. Prepare your materials: wash a glass jar
thoroughly with hot water to clean it. Cut a
length of thick cotton thread a few inches longer
than the height of the jar, and tape it to a pencil.
Place the pencil across the lip of the jar, and
wind it until the thread is hanging about 1 inch
from the bottom of the jar. Attach a paper clip to
the bottom of the thread to weight it and ensure
it hangs straight down. Alternately, you can use
a wooden skewer as the base of your rock
candy, and use clothespins balanced across the
top of the jar to clip it into place.

22. PREPARATION:

23. SKEWER:
 2. Wet your thread or wooden skewer, and
roll it in granulated sugar. This base layer will
give the sugar crystals something to “grab”
when they start forming. Set the thread or
skewer aside to dry while you prepare your
sugar syrup.

24. SKEWER: (NOUN) A SMALL WOODEN OR METAL STICK THAT HOLDS
FOOD TOGETHER.

25. BOIL: HEATING WATER TO 212°
(THIS EXCITES WATER MOLECULES AND THAT IS
WHY THEY MOVE ALL OVER THE PLACE!)
 Place the water in a medium-sized saucepan
over medium heat and bring it to a boil.

26. BOILING

27. ADD THE SUCROSE (SUGAR)
 Begin adding the sugar, one cup at a time,
stirring after each addition. You will notice
that it takes longer for the sugar to dissolve
after each addition.

28. STIR & BOIL:
 Continue to stir and boil the syrup until all of
the sugar has been added and it is all
dissolved. Once the syrup is entirely liquid
and smooth, remove the pan from the heat.

29. FLAVORS & COLORS
 If you are using colors or flavorings, add
them at this point. If you are using an extract,
add 1 tsp of extract, but if you are using
flavoring oils, only add ½ tsp, and make sure
you don‟t stand right in front of the pan—the
scent can be very strong as it rises in the
steam. Add 2-3 drops of food coloring and
stir to ensure even, smooth color.

30. FLAVOR & COLOR

31. PREP YOUR JAR
 Allow the sugar syrup to cool for
approximately 10 minutes off the heat. Place
a large-mouthed funnel over the top of the jar

32. POUR
 The syrup into the jar through a funnel, but
be careful not to drop the pot or you could
get burned!

33. SKEWER IT~
 Carefully lower the sugared skewer or string until it hangs about 1
inch from the bottom and fasten at the top with clothespins or
balanced from a pencil.
 Do not let the end of the skewer or string come too close to the
bottom or sides of the jar, or else the rock candy will grow into the
sides of the jar.
 Carefully place your jar in a cool place, away from harsh lights,
where it can sit undisturbed.
 Cover the top loosely with plastic wrap or paper towel. You should
start to see sugar crystals forming within 4-6 hours. If you have
seen no change to your skewer or thread after 24 hours, try
boiling the sugar syrup again and dissolve another cup of sugar
into it, then pour it back into the jar and insert the string or skewer
again.

34. DO NOT DISTURB!

35. YUM-O!
 Allow the rock candy to grow until it is the
size you want. This process will take up to a
week, depending on how large you want your
rock candy. Don‟t let it grow too large,
otherwise it might start growing into the sides
of your jar! Once it has reached the size you
want, remove it and allow it to dry for a few
minutes, then enjoy or wrap in plastic wrap to
save it for later.

36. EAT IT!

37. YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED…
 In the first picture, you saw strings, not
skewers. That is because you may use
kitchen string too if you do not have skewers.
Use a paper clip at the end of the string to
keep in weighted down and use a pencil to
drape the string over and into the jar.

38. LAST THING…
 Here‟s a brainteaser for you…
 How long does it take water to boil?
 Well, that depends on something….

39. DID YOU KNOW?
 Water will boil at high altitudes, but it isn't as hot as boiling water
at sea level. This is because the air pressure is lower at high
elevations. Boiling occurs when the water is hot enough to have
the same pressure as the surrounding air, so that it can form
bubbles. At high altitudes, air pressure is lower than at sea level,
so the water doesn't have to get so hot to get to boiling. Because
the temperature of the boiling water is lower at high elevations
than at sea level, it takes longer to bring water to a boil at higher
altitudes than at sea level.
 Most cookbooks consider 3,000 feet above sea level to be high
altitude, although at 2,000 feet above sea level, the boiling
temperature of water is 208 °F instead of 212 °F.
 Adding a little salt to the water will cause the water to boil at a
slightly higher temperature which can be helpful while cooking
especially at high altitudes.