Squeeze a red cabbage and you get blue juice. Add a drop of vinegar to the juice and it turns to pink. Add a drop of laundry detergent and it turns back to blue. Add two drops of detergent and it turns to green. Why? That's just one of several chemistry experiments and puzzles that will challenge 60 Dallas-area elementary students on March 28 as guests of the American Chemical Society, world's largest scientific society, during its national meeting in Dallas.
The youngsters will be teamed with trained adult volunteers who will guide and supervise them during an afternoon of hands-on chemistry activities. The activities are among the many featured in the Society's WonderScience magazine, specially designed to make science fun and relevant to children in grades 4 to 6. The adults who will be supervising the children include chemistry professors, Dallas-area elementary school teachers and college chemistry students who are part of the ACS Student Affiliates program. All of the adult volunteers receive specific training in conducting safe, fun and educational chemistry activities for young students.
WHAT: Hands-on WonderScience chemistry activities for youngsters
VISUAL: Kidsand their adult partners doing hands-on experiments with cabbage juice, vinegar, laundry detergent and other materials
WHO: 60 elementary-age students -- Dallas-area schools 30 trained chemistry volunteers -- American Chemical Society
WHEN: Saturday, March 28, 1998
3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Dallas Grand Hotel
1914 Commerce Street
Embassy Ballroom, 2nd Floor
Note: All activities in WonderScience are linked to the National Science Education Standards, developed under the auspices of the National Research Council. The standards are designed to foster long-term commitment to science literacy.
A nonprofit organization with a membership of more than 155,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.