Although chemistry plays an important role in many of our daily lives, we tend to assume it is a given. This means that our children may take it as a given. Chemistry passion can lead to better transportation, safer medicine, more powerful computers, and improved environmental practices. Passion must begin with a solid understanding of the basics.

Encourage your teenagers and children to engage in science at-home. chemistry experimentsCelebrate the 25th Anniversary of National Chemistry Week

The world’s most prestigious scientific society can offer support to parents in encouraging chemistry interest among their children. For grade school students, the American Chemical Society publishes Celebrating Chemistry and provides resources for back to school activities.www.acs.org/chemistryambassadors. These resources contain many hands-on activities which teach valuable lessons about chemical interaction. Remember that chemicals are the basis of everything.

You can have fun with your children by doing experiments at home. This experiment shows how physical forces (like gravity) can be used to make them laugh. Different objects will behave differently depending on their size:

Materials

* A canning jar (pint or quart)

* Ring part of the lid for the jar

* Styrofoam plate

* Ruler

* Sharp pencil

* Scissors

Procedures

1. Use your pencil to trace the opening of the Jar on the Styrofoam Plate and then cut it out.

2. 2. Fill the jar with water.

3. Put your Styrofoam circular into the ring cover and screw it onto your container.

4. With your pencil point, poke a small hole in the middle of your Styrofoam circular. Measure the hole and then record it in your data sheet.

5. Place your finger on the hole and place it over a pail or sink. Then, flip the jar upside-down. Ask your adult lab partner for help if you need it. Hold the upside-down container straight up and down and keep it in place. Slide your finger out of the hole. You should not let water out of the hole.

6. Turn your jar upright. Then, push your pencil slightly further into the hole to make it larger. Keep track of your observations. Note the diameter of your hole and your observations.

7. You can continue to increase the size the hole by using your pencil. Continue this process until water starts to leak out. All diameter measurements should be recorded in your data table.

You can find this experiment on page 15. “Celebrating Chemistry” (http://bit.ly/RfgPAT). More ideas are available at www.acs.org/ncwYou can find details about National Chemistry Week as well as its theme, nanotechnology, in this article.