When my daughter found out that I wanted to write a negative review about her home chemistry kit, she said, "Mom, don't give a bad review." But still I am writing a review, mom, and a review for the same moms and dads, so I will express my personal opinion.
I had a set as a child Young chemist"- I loved him, although I don’t remember why. I don’t remember what chemical experiments he allowed me to do it, but I remember that I loved this set, although I was not particularly fond of chemistry. So I bought (fool!) under the impressions of my childhood a similar set for my daughter - a set for experiments "Experiments in chemistry in the kitchen" from Ranok-Creative...
Before I get indignant, I will give the same dialogue with my daughter (13 years old) about the review:
Mom, you don't need a bad review.
Did you like the set?
Dotsya, you've had it for over a year now. How many times have you used it?
As they say, no comment.
But I will comment on a few of the declared 100 experiments, even in the pictures I will comment, so as not to be unfounded! Pictures - photos from the pages of the instructions.
Example #1. Here are descriptions of two different experiments on descaling a kettle (do not look that there are numbers 3 and 4 - these experiments are generally from different sections, even just coincided):
The only difference is that in one case they take vinegar, and in the other lemon juice.
Example 2 Again, two different experiments from two different sections, this time we mix acid and soda:
The only difference is that in one case they take vinegar, and in the other citric acid and water.
Example 3 Now we make "submarines" - we study the density of fresh and salt water (the sections are different again):
The only difference is that in one case they take a potato, and in the other an egg.
I took examples offhand, there are such a sea!
NOW I HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS:
Question 1: And what's with the set? In the given examples, none of the set is used! With the same success, release a simple instruction as an independent brochure, and parents will not overpay for a beautiful box!
Question 2: What kind of children are these experiments designed for? Written 10+, but I'm not interested in age, but rather the level of knowledge. If a child understands the given formulas, then he certainly knows that the reaction of soda with acid will be the same, even take vinegar, even a solution of citric acid. And if the child is so small that he is directly interested in doing these experiments separately, then what for do you even give formulas ?!
Question 3: How many experiences are you talking about? 100? And if you remove these repetitions? If you just write in my first example that instead of vinegar, you can take lemon juice? And in other examples if done similarly? Will this be 50 experiments? Well, even the brochure will be twice as thin!
Question 4: In my last example with an egg and potatoes, where is the chemistry at all ?! Am I the only one who thinks this is physics? Probably not one, because the experience with an egg on the internet is described everywhere in the physics section ...
FIRE, not a SET!
90% of the experiments are carried out without the kit at all!
My daughter persuaded me to rate not 2, but 3, citing the fact that "there are still some interesting experiences". Ok, I put 3. With a stretch. With a creaking heart. Solely for the sake of "a few interesting experiments" ...
P.S: Buy a better electronic designer Connoisseur - you definitely won't regret it! Suitable for both girls and boys. In the review, I described various real jokes with him - a very funny thing, if you show a little imagination
Who loved at school laboratory works in chemistry? It is interesting, after all, it was to mix something with something and get a new substance. True, it didn’t always work out the way it was described in the textbook, but no one suffered about this, did they? The main thing is that something happens, and we saw it right in front of us.
If in real life if you are not a chemist and do not face much more complex experiments every day at work, then these experiments that can be carried out at home will definitely amuse you, at least.
lava lamp
For experience you need:
– Transparent bottle or vase
— Water
- Sunflower oil
- Food coloring
- Several effervescent tablets "Suprastin"
Mix water with food coloring, pour sunflower oil. You don't need to mix, and you won't be able to. When a clear line between water and oil is visible, we throw a couple of Suprastin tablets into the container. Watching lava flows.
Since the density of oil is lower than that of water, it remains on the surface, with an effervescent tablet creating bubbles that carry water to the surface.
Elephant Toothpaste
For experience you need:
- Bottle
- small cup
— Water
- dish detergent or liquid soap
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Fast acting nutritional yeast
- Food coloring
Mix liquid soap, hydrogen peroxide and food coloring in a bottle. In a separate cup, dilute the yeast with water and pour the resulting mixture into a bottle. We look at the eruption.
Yeast releases oxygen, which reacts with hydrogen and is pushed out. Due to the soap suds, a dense mass erupts from the bottle.
Hot Ice
For experience you need:
- container for heating
- Clear glass cup
- Plate
- 200 g baking soda
- 200 ml of acetic acid or 150 ml of its concentrate
- crystallized salt
Mix in a saucepan acetic acid and soda, wait until the mixture stops sizzling. Turn on the stove and boil excess moisture until an oily film appears on the surface. The resulting solution is poured into a clean container and cooled to room temperature. Then add a crystal of soda and watch how the water “freezes” and the container becomes hot.
Heated and mixed vinegar and soda form sodium acetate, which, when melted, becomes an aqueous solution of sodium acetate. When salt is added to it, it begins to crystallize and release heat.
rainbow in milk
For experience you need:
- Milk
- Plate
- Liquid food coloring in several colors
- cotton swab
— Detergent
Pour milk into a plate, drip dyes in several places. Wet a cotton swab in detergent, dip it into a bowl of milk. Let's see the rainbow.
In the liquid part there is a suspension of droplets of fat, which, in contact with detergent split and rush from the inserted stick in all directions. A regular circle is formed due to surface tension.
Smoke without fire
For experience you need:
– Hydroperite
— Analgin
- Mortar and pestle (can be replaced with a ceramic cup and spoon)
The experiment is best done in a well-ventilated area.
We grind hydroperite tablets to a powder, we do the same with analgin. We mix the resulting powders, wait a bit, see what happens.
During the reaction, hydrogen sulfide, water and oxygen are formed. This leads to partial hydrolysis with the elimination of methylamine, which interacts with hydrogen sulfide, a suspension of its small crystals which resembles smoke.
pharaoh snake
For experience you need:
- Calcium gluconate
- Dry fuel
- Matches or lighter
We put several tablets of calcium gluconate on dry fuel, set fire to it. Let's look at the snakes.
Calcium gluconate decomposes when heated, which leads to an increase in the volume of the mixture.
non-newtonian fluid
For experience you need:
- mixing bowl
- 200 g corn starch
- 400 ml of water
Gradually add water to the starch and stir. Try to make the mixture homogeneous. Now try to roll the ball out of the resulting mass and hold it.
The so-called non-Newtonian fluid behaves like a solid body during fast interaction, and like a liquid during slow interaction.
Knowing chemistry from school, it seems boring and incomprehensible to us. But for a child, she can really become an exciting activity. Surprise your little one with the magic of magical science by conducting simple chemistry experiments with him.
The first stage of acquaintance with chemistry is alkali and acid. To have an exciting chemistry experiments for kids Houses, in gardening stores you can buy indicators for determining acidity and alkali. Invite your child to moisten the indicator in any liquid, be it saliva, water, tea, soup, etc. And you will see how the indicator will change color. The child will really like it, and mom will have some free time while her baby will explore the whole house.
natural indicators
As you know, vegetables, fruits, flowers contain substances that change color depending on the acidic environment. For example, you can take any material (dry, fresh, frozen) to prepare a decoction from it. And in this broth to conduct experiments on the content of acidity and alkali. The broth itself has a neutral environment. For an acidic environment, take a solution of vinegar (or a solution of citric acid), and for an alkaline solution, a baking soda solution is suitable. All solutions must be prepared immediately before the experiment.
Take the empty cells from under the eggs, fill them with a solution of soda and vinegar in rows so that there is a cell with acid opposite the cell with alkali. Then pour the prepared broth into each cell and follow the changes. The child can be offered to write down the results in a table, or draw color changes with paints.
Spectacular experiments to determine alkali and acidity
In a glass or in a jar of water, dissolve a tablet of phenolphthalein ("purgen"). The solution is transparent. We add alkali (a solution of baking soda), the solution has acquired a pink-raspberry color. Then add citric acid (vinegar) - the solution became colorless again. Beauty! Such an experience in chemistry for children is remembered for a long time.
And one more interesting experience. Basically, all women cook pastries. Baking soda and vinegar are used to prepare the dough. And the children, as always, are next to their mother. So, for the experience, take more soda, put it on a plate and pour vinegar directly from the bottle. There will be a violent neutralization reaction with a real boil. Be careful not to bend over the plate!
After the child's emotions have subsided, he can be interested in writing secret notes. Take a brush or pen and dip in milk. Write a message on white paper. Let dry. Hold over steam or iron to read. Instead of milk, you can take lemon juice and also write on white paper, but you can read such a note with an iodine solution (dissolve a few drops in water), which you need to slightly moisten the text.
The reaction to iodine can also determine the presence of starch in potatoes, margarine, green leaves. And the presence of protein (for example, in broth or milk) can be determined using washing soda and copper sulfate.
No less interesting is the experience of growing crystals from salt and the experiment with water and a drop of ink. The number of examples for conducting experiments at home is unlimited. Surprise your child and perhaps boring and difficult science will become his favorite hobby!
