In the Mixtures kit, students will read the Marshmallows, Mud Pies, and Messy Rooms leveled reader and discover that in chemistry a mixture is any two or more things mixed together. Mixtures can be made up of large things or things as small as molecules. For example, salt water is a mixture of salt molecules and water molecules. Atoms are defined as the fundamental building blocks of matter that can link together to form molecules.

Students will also learn about different methods used for separating mixtures, such as by hand or with tools. Mixtures of molecules can be separated using processes such as paper chromatography, filtration, or evaporation. Soap can be used to separate oil from water because a soap molecule has an oily end and a watery end. The oily ends of soap molecules attract oil molecules, and the soap molecules form a ball around the oil, with the watery end of the soap molecules on the outside of the ball. This allows the soap molecules to interact with water, and the oil can be rinsed away. Examples of mixtures we use every day are shown.

Students read a full-color reader with fun illustrations. The reader includes a pronunciation guide for scientific terms. Students then work through a short hands-on experiment in the student activity notebook learning about mixtures. Students will explore separating mixtures by hand and then learn about paper chromatography and how to separate different colors of ink.  Students are encouraged to repeat the chromatography experiment with ink pens from home or to research and explore their own chromatography experiment. The student notebook provides question prompts for students to ask and then answer their own questions about molecules.

Inside the box:

• 24 page full-color Reader (Lexile-Scored 250: for reading level 1-3, interest level 2-5).
• student activity pages with assembly instructions
• a bag with bears and rocks
• a bag with rocks and sand
• a bag with sand and salt
• a bag with salt and sugar
• a 4 color pen
• a wooden stir stick
• 2 pieces of chromatography paper
• large piece of folded brown paper.
• QR code for the step-by-step video tutorial where Dr. Woodbury shows your student “how to RATATAZ” the lesson.

*This box requires equipment from the equipment starter kit (sold separately) and included with the What is Chemistry? box.