National Chemistry Week Activities

Northeast Wisconsin Section of the American Chemical Society


Each year volunteers from our local section help with a number of community outreach activities during National Chemistry Week. These activities are primarily aimed at K-12 students. The theme for 2002 is "Chemistry Keeps Us Clean". We are looking for a chair to lead the NCW committee for this year's activities (October 20-26).

Jane Rank will be coordinating a program at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay (date TBA). The Neville sponsors an annual Tiger Scout Saturday which normally lands during NCW. Up to 240 Tiger Scouts stop by our tables to make slime, try their hand at paper chromatography and learn how to blow up a balloon using basic chemistry. Anyone interested in helping with this event can contact Jane Rank at 920-465-2273 or rankj@uwgb.edu.

 

Activities of Fall 2001

We hosted hands-on activities at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay on November 3, 2001.  The Tiger Scouts made slime, performed paper chromatography of water-soluble markers, and learned how to blow up a balloon using basic chemistry. 

 

Activities of Fall 2000

In 2000 under the leadership of Pat Dywer-Hallquist we held activities in three locations. National Chemistry Week was celebrated with tours and activities at the Oshkosh Water Filtration Plant led by John Plude, Jonathan Gutow, and UW Oshkosh chemistry students; "Kitchen Chemistry Activity Day" was organized by Kara Pezzi at the Fox Cities Children's Museum in Appleton; and Tiger Cub Scouts and other children enjoyed chemistry activities organized by Jane Rank and John Lyon at the Neville Museum in Green Bay.

Photos from the Children's Museum:

Details of some past activities in 1998 and 1999 may be found below. 


National Chemistry Week Banner Hanging in Front of
the Fox Cities Children's Museum in Appleton, WI.

 

Award-Winning Activities Fall 1999

Our 1999 National Chemistry Week program at the BRAND NEW state-of-the-art Oshkosh Water Filtration Plant won a Phoenix Award, in the category of "Most Unique Open House." Councilor John Plude was able to accept the award at the ceremony on August 22, 2000 at the ACS National Meeting in Washington.

The program was November 6, 1999, from 10 AM to 2 PM. This was a preview of the new plant, which opened officially in 2000. We had hands-on activities for children (making paper and slime, doing paper chromatography). Added to the program this year were tours of the plant by UW Oshkosh chemistry club members, and information and demonstrations on water chemistry. Jonathan Gutow, Pat Dwyer-Hallquist, John Plude, and Dave DiPietro organized the program.

On November 20, 1999 we also had hands-on children's activities at the Neville Museum in downtown Green Bay, organized by Jane Rank.

Activities Fall 1998

We hosted hands-on activities at the Fox Cities Children's Museum in Appleton and the Neville Museum in Green Bay.  In Appleton the children made slime and paper, and did paper chromatography of water-soluble markers.  We also had a free drawing for chemistry kit prizes (jiggle jelly kits) and gave away lots of free NCW pencils, stickers and periodic tables.  At the Neville Museum we did not have the prize drawing or the paper making, but otherwise the activities were similar.

Making slime at the Fox Cities Children's Museum.

Tiger scouts making slime at the Neville Musuem.

Paper Chromatography at the Neville Museum.
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Science Outreach Program provided a chemistry magic show early in the afternoon at the Fox Cities Children's Museum.  As you can see from the picture the kids had fun and some even got involved in the show.  After the show we awarded the prizes for the My Favorite Science Experiment Essay Contest.

A presenter from UW Oshkosh Science Outreach and one of the Children making Foam in a Glove.

The Winners of the 1998 My Favorite Science Experiment Contest.

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Last updated: August 19, 2002