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Do you prefer the vibrant changing colors of fall, or the warm summer air? Maybe it’s the crisp white snow, or the new spring flowers? Investigate the chemistry that gives each season its distinct characteristics.
Sections
Activities
- Experimenting with UV-sensitive Beads from NASA
Students experiment with ultraviolet (UV) light-sensitive plastic beads, which are generally white but turn colors when exposed to UV light.
- Sandy Beaches—A Foray into ‘Magic’ Sand from AACT
Students investigate the properties of magic sand and learn about the concept of hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules.
Labs
- Pizza Box Solar Oven from Scientific American
Harness the sun’s energy to get your s’more marshmallows nice and gooey.
- Winter Crystals from AACT
Experience the exciting crystallization process while creating a snowflake.
- How Does Salt “Melt” Ice? from AACT
Find out why salt is used to aide in snow clearing and help to keep icy roads safe.
- Chemistree
from AACT
Create unique snowy trees using solutions, and recrystallization.
- Benzoic Acid Blizzard in a Bottle from Flinn Scientific
Choose a fun plastic figurine for your blizzard bottle, then let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
- Natural Insect Repellent Recipe from ThoughtCo.
Like the great outdoors, but not all the insects you might find there? Learn how you can make your own insect repellent.
Articles
- Ant "Noses" and Better Bug Repellents from Smithsonian Magazine
A new class of chemical compounds can send insect noses into overdrive, with beneficial results for humans.
- What's the Best Way To Keep Mosquitoes from Biting? From NPR.org
What’s the best repellent? What are your other options?
- Analyze This! Mosquito Repellents That Work from Science News Explores
Scientists put repellents to the test. What came out on top?
- The Chemistry of Insect Repellents from Compound Chemistry
What makes mosquitoes want to hang out and bug you? How can you stop them? This infographic explains it all.
- Green Sunscreen from University of Florida News
Everything else is going green—why not sunscreen? Marine organisms hold the key.
- Understanding UVA and UVB from Skin Cancer Foundation
Learn the A B C’s of UV rays. What makes them different from each other? What does your skin need for full protection?
- The Science of Sunscreen & How It Protects Your Skin from Compound Chemistry
Which UVA & UVB blockers are in sunscreen? Will you find them all in U.S. versus other countries’ sunscreens? Find out with this infographic.
- How Does Sunscreen Work? From PBS News Hour
Quick trivia questions: When was the first widely used sunscreen created? What did it look like? The answers are here!
- The Chemistry of Sunglasses from Compound Chemistry
Don’t just protect your skin in the summertime—your eyes need some chemistry cover-up too.
- How Do Sunless-Tanning Products Work? from How Stuff Works
Get that sunny golden glow without even stepping outside, all thanks to chemistry.
- How to Build the Perfect Sandcastle from ABC Science
Ever wondered what the best ratio of sand-to-water is for a super sandcastle? Wonder no longer—science has the answer!
- Watch Leaves Change Color in a Matter of Seconds from Smithsonian Magazine
Slow? No! This time-lapse video gives you a sped-up view of leaves changing color.
- The Chemicals Behind the Colours of Autumn Leaves from Compound Chemistry
Red, orange, yellow. Which compounds give us these lovely leaf hues? Use this infographic to learn the chemistry involved.
- Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall? From Thought Co.
There’s a rainbow hiding inside. What are the factors that finally reveal the colors?
Videos
- How Sunless Tanner Works: Tan-In-A-Can Chemistry
from Bytesize Science
How does that tan-in-a-can give you all the bronzed results without the UV exposure? Learn how with this short video.
- Why Do Leaves Change Color? From ACS Reactions
Ever wonder why some leaves turn red, others yellow and some just turn brown? Learn why with this Reactions video.
- How Does Salt Melt Ice? From ACS Reactions
Breaking down the chemistry behind keeping roads safe when cold weather hits.