Polymer Science on a Shoestring

The author presents a great activity for teaching about physical properties using inexpensive packing peanuts. The connections to sustainability, plastics recycling and green science provide... See More

The author presents a great activity for teaching about physical properties using inexpensive packing peanuts. The connections to sustainability, plastics recycling and green science provided an added bonus. Enough information is given to easily develop a more advanced discussion of polymer properties and structure for older students.

Packing Peanut Properties - Review

The activities described in Packing Peanut Properties allow students to investigate the properties of packing peanuts and can introduce terms like sink, float, and dissolve that can be diffi... See More

The activities described in Packing Peanut Properties allow students to investigate the properties of packing peanuts and can introduce terms like sink, float, and dissolve that can be difficult for elementary students. The article includes all appropriate safety considerations for the activities. In addition, it describes ways to differentiate instruction while conducting the investigations so that all students will benefit from the inquiry based investigation.