Mat-Su Learn and Inspire, LLC

Today was the last day of our Chemistry class and we wrapped things up with some radical reactions!

Students learned the difference between chemical and physical reactions, then explored endothermic and exothermic reactions.

For our exothermic reaction, students made Elephant Toothpaste using hydrogen peroxide and yeast. This was definitely the class favorite! They loved watching the reaction create a huge amount of foam and enjoyed touching and playing with it afterward.

Next, we created an endothermic reaction using citric acid, baking soda, and soap. Students used thermometers to observe how the reaction became colder as it occurred and discussed why some chemical reactions absorb energy instead of releasing it.

After that, we investigated the pH of both sour and sweet candies and learned what makes sour candies taste sour. Students tested the candies with litmus paper and also observed how acidic substances react with baking soda. If a candy was acidic, it produced bubbles when mixed with the baking soda.

Finally, even though it wasn't officially part of our Radical Reactions lesson, students got to observe both an Alka-Seltzer and a baking soda rocket launch. They were able to take the materials home so they could continue experimenting and exploring science on their own.

Thank you to everyone who signed up for these summer classes. I truly appreciate your support and the opportunity to work with your students. I couldn't do it without you! I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their summer filled with learning, adventure, and fun.

Today was Day Three of our Crazy Concoctions Chemistry class, and we spent the day exploring phenomenal fluids!

Students learned about acids and bases and were introduced to the pH scale. Using litmus paper, they tested different substances to determine whether they were acidic, basic, or neutral. We also discussed how certain substances can neutralize acids and bases through chemical reactions.

One of today's demonstrations involved a universal indicator solution. I started with water and milk of magnesia, which turned the solution blue, indicating it was a base. We then added vinegar, an acid, which caused the solution to change to a reddish-pink color. Students were fascinated as they watched the liquid slowly turn back to blue as the milk of magnesia worked to neutralize the acid.

Students also created their own natural pH indicator using red cabbage. They tested a variety of liquids and observed the color changes to determine whether each substance was an acid or a base. It was a great hands-on way to see chemistry in action and learn how scientists use indicators to identify different substances.

☀️ Summer Science Camp: Flight & Aerodynamics ✈️

Join us for four days of hands-on learning, experiments, and engineering challenges as students explore the science of flight!

📅 June 15–18
⏰ 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM (Monday–Thursday)
📍 124 West Swanson Ave
💲 $300 per student

Students will receive 12 instructional hours of engaging, hands-on STEM activities.

Throughout the week, students will learn about the forces that make flight possible, experiment with different aircraft designs, build and test flying creations, and discover how aerodynamics impacts everything from paper airplanes to rockets.

This course is designed to encourage curiosity, problem-solving, creativity, and scientific thinking in a fun and interactive environment.

✈️ Hands-on experiments
🚀 Engineering challenges
🔬 Scientific investigations
🎯 Small group learning

Space is limited!

For more information or to register, visit:
www.matsulearnandinspire.com or
Www.bookeo.com/matsulearn

Today was Day Two of Chemistry: Salty Solutions.

Students started the day by examining table salt and rock salt. They discovered that salt is actually made up of tiny crystals with a repeating crystal structure. We also learned that some salt contains iodine and discussed why iodine is added to certain salts as an important nutrient.

Students then made hypotheses about which type of salt they thought contained iodine. To test their predictions, we performed a chemistry experiment using liquid starch, vinegar, salt, and hydrogen peroxide as a catalyst. If iodine was present, the mixture would turn a bluish-purple color. It was exciting to see whether their hypotheses were correct!

Next, students were introduced to electrical circuits. We began exploring how electricity flows through a circuit, and we will continue our circuit investigations tomorrow.

To wrap up the day, students learned that salt is a polarized substance, meaning it has a positive side and a negative side. Because of this, it dissolves easily in other polarized substances, such as water, but not in nonpolar substances like oil. To see this concept in action, we combined water, oil, and salt in a jar to create our own lava lamp and observed how the different substances interacted.

Another day filled with chemistry, experiments, observations, and hands-on learning!

Today was Day One of Chemistry: Crazy Concoctions, and we packed a lot of science into three hours!

Students started the day by learning about mixtures and solutions. We discussed the difference between the two and explored how the materials in mixtures and solutions can be separated. Students were surprised to learn that many things they encounter every day are actually mixtures or solutions!

Next, we explored the three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. We talked about how heat energy can cause matter to change from one state to another. As students arrived, they were challenged to observe shaving cream and decide whether it was a solid, liquid, or gas. This sparked some great discussions because shaving cream is actually a foam,a mixture that contains both gas and liquid!

Students also investigated one of the most colorful chemistry experiments of the day: the milk rainbow. First, they placed drops of food coloring into milk and observed what happened when they touched the surface with a plain cotton swab,almost nothing. Then they dipped the cotton swab in dish soap and touched the milk again. Suddenly, the colors burst and swirled across the surface. This happens because dish soap breaks apart the fat molecules in the milk, causing the colors to move and creating a beautiful rainbow effect.

From there, we learned about density and why some objects float while others sink. Students tested different materials and discussed how density helps determine where an object will settle in a liquid.

Today was the last day of Slime Class, and things got wild and wacky!

Students started the day by observing the diffusion experiment we set up yesterday. They looked at how the food coloring had spread through the slime over time and discussed why diffusion occurs.

Next, we explored density and learned why some substances mix while others do not. Students discovered why oil and water separate and how differences in density affect the way materials interact.

We then moved on to magnetism. Students learned about magnetic fields, north and south poles, and how magnets attract and repel each other. Afterward, they created their own magnetic slime and experimented with using magnets to move and stretch it.

Our next topic was fluorescence and luminescence. Students learned about photoluminescence, which occurs when a material absorbs light and then glows. We also discussed chemiluminescence, where light is produced through a chemical reaction, and briefly touched on bioluminescence, the natural glow produced by certain living organisms such as fireflies and some ocean creatures.

To finish the day, students made several more slimes. One slime was created using guar gum, saline solution, and baking soda. Unlike many of the slimes we made earlier in the week, which were made from synthetic materials, this slime was made from more natural ingredients. Interestingly, many students did not like this slime as much as the others, which is perfectly okay! Part of science is testing different materials and forming your own opinions based on observations.

Students also made thermochromic slime and learned about thermochromatism, the process that allows certain materials to change color when their temperature changes. We discussed how the molecules react to heat and why the color shifts occur.

When asked to vote for their favorite slime from the week, the clear winner was the glow-in-the-dark slime!

Thank you for sharing your students with me this week. We had a lot of fun exploring chemistry, polymers, states of matter, density, magnetism, and luminescence through hands-on experiments and, of course, lots and lots of slime!

Today's class was all about chemistry! Students learned about diffusion, states of matter, non-Newtonian fluids, and polymers.

We explored how diffusion works differently in solids, liquids, and gases and discussed how the movement of particles affects the speed of diffusion. Students also learned about polymers and how they are used to create many of the materials we interact with every day.

Students created three different slimes today: Silly Putty, fluffy slime, and Oobleck. Each slime had unique properties, allowing students to compare and contrast how they behaved.
To investigate whether their creations acted more like solids or liquids, students performed a variety of tests, including the pour test, shape test, squeeze-and-release test, roll test, pass test, drop test, float test, yank test, pull test, and slap test. Through these hands-on experiments, students observed how some materials can behave like both a solid and a liquid depending on the amount of force applied.

Today in class, students made five different types of slime, all using laundry detergent as the activator. An activator is what causes the glue molecules to link together, transforming a liquid mixture into the stretchy, squishy slime students know and love.

Students created sherbet slime, sand slime, bubble gum slime, strawberry jam slime, and microbead slime. Each slime had its own unique texture, stretchiness, and feel.
Students also practiced the observation portion of the scientific method by working with a partner to test and compare their slimes.

They observed:

How long it took a marble to sink

Whether ink would transfer to the slime

How much the slime could stretch

Whether it would conform to the shape of a cookie cutter

If it would bounce

Whether it was buoyant (would float)

The class favorite test was seeing whether they could blow a bubble with their slime. Some slimes were much better bubble-makers than others, which led to lots of discussion and observations about why different slime recipes behave differently.

Today kicked off Day One of Summer Slime Camp!

Students learned about the scientific method and created four different types of slime using a variety of activators. An activator is the ingredient that causes the slime to form by linking the glue molecules together, changing the mixture from a liquid into a stretchy, squishy polymer. Common activators include contact lens solution, laundry detergent, liquid starch, and borax.

Students were able to compare the different textures and see how each activator affected the slime's stickiness, stretchiness, and overall feel. They also explored how changing ingredients can produce different results.

Today, students took home Mermaid Slime, Cloud Slime, and Midnight Slime.