Atoms and Matter (K-2)

Add to list Go to activity
Activity link broken? See if it's at the internet archive
In this activity, learners explore atoms as the smallest building blocks of matter. With adult help, learners start by dividing play dough in half, over and over again. Then they use a notebook (a few small squares of paper with 2 staples along one edge) and start folding the pages in half. Magnets and play dough are used to model the proton and electron cloud of an atom, and two play dough hydrogen atoms are "bonded" together to form a molecule. Intermolecular bonds between water molecules in different phases, physical changes, and chemical changes in the kitchen are also introduced. This activity was designed as a kit that could be checked out of the library, but the kit is not required.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per student
Age Range:
Ages 4 - 8
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Model
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • 1 
plastic 
knife
  • 1 
small 
booklet
  • 2 
tubs
 of
 play 
dough (different colors)
  • 2
 magnets
  • notebook and pen/pencil
  • ice cubes
  • pan
  • stove/hot plate

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Technology
  • Mathematics
    • Measurement
      • Size and Scale
    • Number and Operations
      • Fractions
  • Physical Sciences
    • Heat and Thermodynamics
      • Heat and Temperature
    • Electricity and Magnetism
    • Chemistry
      • Chemical Bonding
      • Chemical Reactions
    • States of Matter
      • Solids
      • Liquids
      • Gases
      • Changes of Phase
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Atomic Structure
      • Elements and Periodic Table
      • Elementary Particles and Nuclear Physics
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking
  • Model Building

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • see color
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Shaw, Maisie ; Gomez, Maria

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Passport to Chemistry Adventure Program, Mount Holyoke College, 2010

Funding Source:

  • Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.