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I am a preservice chemistry teacher currently in student teaching. I was wondering if anyone wanted to share any activities or labs that they use during the first few days of school to really grab the students attention and make them wonder about all of the amazing chemistry they will learn in the upcoming year! Thanks!

Hi Rachel,
There is a discussion thread titled, 'Chemistry Animations, Games,and Simulations' that might have some ideas for you. I personally like to use discrepant events to engage the students right away. There are several chemistry ones to choose from depending on what unit you will be studying first. Steve Spangler's website shares several.
Carolyn

I made turmeric paper at the end of summer (mix about 1 T ground turmeric in about 1-2 cups of rubbing alcohol, pour into shallow dish and dip paper in it, then hang up to dry). This is what the old goldenrod paper was made of, but it doesn't appear to be made anymore. Its an acid-base indicator. Spray with a basic solution (ammonia) and it turns bright red color temporarily. Paint on a baking soda mix and it the red is permanent. I created a banner by taping several sheets together and wrote "Welcome to Chemistry" with paraffin wax, then sprayed with ammonia solution to reveal the message. I then had the students create name tags with the paper so I could learn their names and they could do some chemistry. I also did the "Opening Day Signs For Chemistry" from a Flinn ChemFax. This one reveals three different faces: CheMisery, CheMystery, and Chemistry. You can find that one on the Flinn's elearning video series for opening day activities. You can find those here: http://elearning.flinnsci.com/ I also had them do a traditional "separation of a mixture" lab at the end of the first week. This was just a mixture of sand, salt, seeds (I used pumpkin) and iron fillings. They had to devise a procedure for separating the mixture into four pure substances. I put out a bunch of miscellaneous equipment for them to use (beakers, stir rods, spatulas, magnets, filter paper, funnels, etc). This engaged them in inquiry right away and introduced the science notebooks where I had them create a flow chart of their procedure. The kids enjoyed it ...

Hi Adah! My name is Anna, I am a student at a university working on getting my teaching certfication. I was just wondering reading your post was it hard to get permission to use these items with your students? It sounds like it would be alot of fun!

Anna, To use fireworks and smoke bombs, you would need to make sure you informed your administrator so that he or she knew what you were going to be doing. Most administrators will allow you to use a variety of teaching techniques as long as they follow standards of best practice and you can tie your activity to a learning objective. You would also need to check with your local ordinances. Many areas of the country have laws limiting the use of fireworks (meaning they can only be used at certain times during the year). You would also not want to use fireworks if your area was under a burn ban. The links to the discrepant events that Adah listed would be very easy to use with a class. They use easily obtained supplies and would fit well in a number of classroom settings.

I start off the year with Fire Writing Demo. Make a saturated solution of KNO3 (potassium nitrate) - about 100 mL will serve you for several years. Using a Q-tip or small paint brush, I write a message (like Chem Rocks) on a 3-ft long strip of paper towel. Make sure all the letters connect somehow when writing it. (Think Cursive) It will dry and be invisible. Then I tape it to a wall (fortunately, I have a brick wall in my classroom.) Holding a match to a starting point, the portion impregnated with potassium nitrate will burn and the rest should be un-burned.

I like these suggestions!

These are all great ideas!  I have one I'd like to add; it is not chemistry specific but good for any course that helps student develop problem solving skills.  Typically on the first or second day of the semester the students enter the classroom to find that ice has been set out and melting.  I use a ring stand, iron ring, and a funnel with ice dripping into a beaker.  I typically allow the ice to melt at least an hour before students arrive so that enough has melted into water in the beaker.  Their task is to work in pairs or small groups and devise a plan to determine when the ice started to melt (or was taken out of the freezer).  They are allowed to use any materials I have available in the lab/classroom and they must carry out their plan.  They are also expected to write their procedure and collect data, show calculations, etc. that is needed to determine the time.  This is a great way for you to get to know your students early on in the semester and also for them to get to know each other to solve problems together.  It is also great because it is inexpensive, allows students to be creative, and since no background content knowledge is needed it can easily be done on the first day of class.

Hi Adah! you suggested some great resources! I too found these helpful as a preservice teacher. Thank you!

This is a fabulous resource and goes into the chemistry behind the demonstrations. http://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/chemistry/demonstrations/videos/

I used to be on the lookout for thrilling first day demonstrations, which I loved doing.  I gradually found out that high school students who signed up for high school chemistry came into class interested...but scared to death of passing the class. Now days I spend the first three sessions giving them some structures and initial successes and let them settle in before I give them a 'Wow' lab.

My first lab is really simple, the reaction of Iron nails with Copper Sulfate solution in a petri dish, but it allows them to practice safety rules in the context of an actual chemistry lab while doing a colorful lab. Every year I gather from student comments that they find the lab very interesting even though I think its pretty basic.

Hello there! I just worked with my co-teacher to do an awesome lab to start out the year. It's a three bottle problem where the students work in pairs to determine which of their solutions matches those of their labmate by mixing them in plastic well plates. For example, A = 2, B = 3, C = 1, where one student has A - C and the other has 1 -3. They should both mix their solutions together (A+B, B+C, A+C, 1+2, 2+3, 1+3) to then match them effectively. The solutions to use are alum, sodium bicarbonate, and vinegar. One combination yields no reaction, one yields bubbles, and one yields a white precipitate. The chemicals are inexpensive and safe for a first-day lab. I hope this helps!