Do you have a child chemist at home? Whether your child has an interest in science or not, learning about acids and bases can be a good learning option. Your child discovers acids and bases every day, so you can explain the application of science to everyday life.
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Part 1 of 3: Teaching Your Kids the Basics of Acids and Bases
Step 1. Teach your child about atoms and molecules
Tell your child that everything around us is made up of atoms and molecules.
For example, use water. Explain to your child that the symbol for water is H2O. The symbol "H" stands for hydrogen; and "O" stands for oxygen. Therefore, the symbol "H2O" indicates that there are two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom bonded together. The water molecule can be divided into several parts, namely one OH element and one H element
Step 2. Explain acids and bases
If a substance produces more hydroxide (OH), then the substance is a base; If the substance produces more hydrogen (H), then the substance is an acid.
It can help you when explaining complex concepts, to know your child's learning style. Does your child tend to learn better through watching, listening or doing physical activities? If in doubt, use a combination of sight, hearing and practical methods: most children respond well to pictures, sounds, experiments and other things that are related to their senses
Step 3. Show your child the pH scale
Tell your child that scientists use the pH scale to determine acids and bases. The scale for acids and bases is fourteen degrees. Draw the scale (or print it from a web page) and explain to your child that substances on a scale from 1 to 7 (having a low pH value) are acidic, and substances on a scale from seven to fourteen (having a low pH value). high) is alkaline.
Labeling the pH scale with the name or picture of everyday items can help you define acids and bases, with the correct category according to the scale
Step 4. Teach your child about the concept of neutrality
Neutral substances have a pH scale of seven; it is neither an acid nor a base. Distilled water is one example. Acids and bases can be neutralized by combining them.
Step 5. Emphasize safety
Substances that are highly acidic (around the pH scale of one or below) are dangerous, as are very alkaline substances (around the pH scale of thirteen and above). Tell your child that he or she should not experiment with the substance.
Part 2 of 3: Distinguishing Between Acids and Bases
Step 1. Introduce your child to litmus paper
Litmus paper is able to prove whether a substance is an acid or a base. Paper will turn red when exposed to acids and blue when exposed to alkaline substances.
- Dip litmus paper in vinegar. The paper will turn red to indicate acidity.
- Dip the parchment paper in the baking soda and water mixture. The substance will turn blue to indicate that the substance is a base.
- In addition, you can create your own test kit. To make it, heat the cabbage leaves in water or in the microwave until smooth, then cut into small pieces, pressing with a coffee filter until the color is absorbed. then take the cabbage and slice it. The slices can be immersed in acids or bases.
Step 2. Teach your child about the characteristics of acids and bases
In general, acids and bases have observable characteristics that your child can tell without using litmus paper.
- Acidic substances have a sour taste and can dissolve various materials. Citric acid, vinegar, and battery water are some examples, as stomach acid dissolves the food we eat.
- Bases have a bitter taste and tend to be slippery. This substance can dissolve dirt and plaque by forming hydroxide clumps and therefore it is used as a cleanser. Soap, dishwashing liquid, detergent, bleach, hair conditioner and baking soda are some examples.
Step 3. Collect samples that are safe for experimentation
You can find many acids and bases in your kitchen: orange juice, milk, baking soda, lemons, and whatever you have.
Step 4. Ask your child to try the ingredients and ask them to guess whether they are acidic or basic
Remind them that acids will taste sour and bases will taste bitter.
Part 3 of 3: Experimenting with Acids and Bases
Step 1. Gather the ingredients
Children love experiments and tend to remember concepts better when they do experiments. Involve your children by having them collect the materials needed for an experiment: cabbage leaves, blender, strainer, water, five plastic cups of gelatin, vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, lemon or lime juice and milk.
Step 2. Make indicators with cabbage leaves
Put four to five leaves in a blender, add half a blender with water, and mash. Strain the solids from the mixture that has been pulverized by a blender, and add the purple liquid to five gelatin plastic cups (add the same composition to each glass).
Also, you can make an indicator by filling a pot with water, bringing the water to a boil, then adding the red cabbage leaves to the pot. Leave it for ten minutes, until the water turns red. Cool to room temperature
Step 3. Pay attention to your substance
The five substances you have collected are chemical reactions. If the substance is an acid, it will turn the purplish liquid to a bright pink color; If the substance is alkaline, the substance will change color to dark blue. Ask your child to make an estimate of how the substance will taste (except with dish soap, of course).
Step 4. Do the experiment
Tell your child to drop a teaspoon of each chemical in one of the five glasses. Be sure to save the milk for last. Write down each discovery you make, ask your child to write down certain chemical reactions, their tastes, their predictions, and the colors that emerge from the experiment.
When your child feeds the milk, you should note that the indicator does not change to either a bright pink or a dark blue; it will turn purple. Because milk is a neutral substance; It is in the middle of the pH scale and tastes neither sour nor bitter. Remind your child about the pH scale and explain that the substance becomes more acidic the lower the pH scale and more alkaline the higher the pH scale
Step 5. Experiment with neutralization
You can see what happens when your child adds a base to an acid (or vice versa). Note that you can make a neutral substance by combining reagents.
Step 6. Review the results
Your child should understand the concept of the pH scale through experimentation, but review it again to be sure. Have him look at the data and explain to you why the substance changed color the way it did, then ask follow-up questions to test his ability to understand information.
