www.Howtoteachscience.com

By Teresa Bondora

How To Make Your Own Periodic Table For Children

The Periodic Table Is For Children

Can I ask you a question? What if I asked you to please let me put a periodic

table of elements on your wall and then leave you to teach your kids about it?

Actually, I already know the answer to that from most people. I used to have

booths at homeschool conventions and had my children’s periodic table behind

me. I would watch people make this HUGE arc around my table to avoid me

like I had a contagious disease. I want you to know that the periodic table of

elements is actually a very simple tool and represents what our children’s world

is made of. And like a map, it should be on the wall from a very young age. For

some reason, though, scientists wanted to make chemistry seem difficult and

mysterious. And they succeeded.

I have been challenging that myth quite successfully for the last 16 years with

students when I was a high school teacher then with parents around the globe

when I became a homeschool mom. I know for a fact that the periodic table is

not difficult, it’s just a table. And when you look at it, it starts to become some-

thing very fun and very easily incorporated into daily life. So let me ask you an-

other set of questions. Do you have any idea what copper is? What about iron

or oxygen or carbon or nitrogen or gold or silver? You do? Well, you already

know some of the elements on the periodic table. What if your child asked you

what aluminum was? Could you answer them? Of course you could. What if

they asked you what things are made of aluminum? Can you find anything near

you that you could grab and say “This! This is aluminum!” Of course you could.

Are we afraid yet? I doubt it.

I hear you…you think that I am waiting to spring the really hard stuff on you,

right? Nope. Sorry. It’s just a table. And with any 3 year old we can grab

some table salt and point to the periodic table and show them 2 squares. We

can sprinkle that salt in their hand and say, “This is sodium (we point to sodium)

and chlorine (we point to chlorine). Put them together and we have table salt,

sodium chloride. Cool huh?” Then we go on about our business. Tomorrow we

can take our ring off our finger and say “This is made of silver and here it is on

our table (point to silver) and go on with what we were doing. The possibilities

are endless because the periodic table had lots of wonderful things to choose

from.

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So there’s a really neat activity you can do with any age child to help them

become familiar with the periodic table. Why do we want them familiar with it?

Because we don’t want them to grow up fearing what we have been

brainwashed into believing are the “harder” sciences. Why aren’t you afraid of

the map and geography? Why aren’t you afraid of driving or figuring out the

mass transit map? You aren’t because you have been exposed to it and know

how to use it. But if you look at a world map, I mean, step back and really look

at it…wowzer! It looks insane. Why doesn’t your heart rate increase when you

see it, why are you not taken aback by it? Because you were exposed as a

young child and the exposure never stopped. As you grew so did your

understanding of it. Is a world map hard? No, it’s just a map. This same logic

applies to the chart of what our world is made of. And we can expose our

children to this table and leave it up for years so that as they grow, they refer to

it time and again until they are so familiar with it that they have no problem with

moving forward with learning about mixing them together and making

molecules. This leads to a natural progression into chemistry. In addition, the

table has explosiveness (sodium), deadliness (fluorine) and stinkiness (sulphur)

and so much more!

No I don’t think everyone is as nerdy as me and loves the sciences or wants to

pursue a career in it, but it would be a shame if we failed our child who did love

it then in late middle school saw the periodic table and ran from it in fear. And

besides, the periodic table, a basic knowledge of chemistry and chemicals

makes you a more informed consumer in so many areas that you probably

aren’t even aware of yet. The fun thing about what I do is that once I make

these statements to parents and they get it, and they start with it, I get to receive

all the wonderful emails telling me about how fascinating it is and that they just

had no idea that: 1. Their child would like it, 2. That they would like it and 3. That

it would really be so simple. So really this article is selfish. I just can’t tell you

what it does to my heart to read these emails. My hope is that you will begin this

activity then along the way, you will send me one of those emails that make my

heart sing. I get pictures and all kinds of great things.

So lets make our own periodic table shall we? I made one that I sell online but in

this economy I am always looking for ways to get things done with less money

and choose to spend the money I do have in the best way possible. Besides,

there’s something wonderful that happens when kids help make their own. Yep!

They learn and they become familiar with it and feel a sense of ownership and

pride with it at an early age. So gather the following things and let’s go! Every

single child of every age can be involved in this and if you are teaching more

than one child, get the older ones to read this article and help facilitate the work

with the younger ones.

For this activity you will need:

A piece of poster paper 100cm long and 65cm high

72 pieces of card (5cm X 7.5cm)

Markers

Glue stick

A periodic table (from the internet or book) for reference

For more periodic table fun, get The Periodic Ta-

ble of Elements Coloring Book available on Ama-

zon.

Click the book to go there now.

Also see the free pages I inserted in this lesson

and feel free to copy and use them!

For information on the table and how it works and

to get a free sample booklet of the coloring book

and much more information go to

Www.HowToTeachScience.com

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Make The Table

The hardest part is knowing what the dimensions need to be. Now that you

know those you can begin by cutting the cards and having them ready to use.

Next, you will need the paperboard or bulletin board paper. Find the center and

draw a line down the middle with a pencil to use as a guide so that you count

over from each side to see what elements go next to each other at the center. At

the longest row there will be 18 elements, 9 on each of the middle.

Next draw your row lines. For children we only need the first 6 rows of elements.

I made the measurements so that you have about 10cm at the top and bottom

left over. As you can see in the photo of the one my kids and I made, we wrote

the title in between the top two elements. To make it easier, I drew the line un-

der the elements so that each child would set the element card on the line.

When you make each element’s card I suggest keeping the information to the

name, symbol and atomic number (the whole number). If you see a periodic

table with a number on each element that includes a decimal then that number

is the weight of the atom. For our purposes at the elementary level, it’s not

necessary. If you have middle level learners, you can certainly add it. The idea

here is that you get to choose. You don’t have to include anything you don’t feel

ready to include.

The great thing about this activity is that you get to choose how to approach

building your table. This activity can be done one element a day, the whole thing

in one day, a row a week; however you wish to set it up.

There are several variations you can add as well. You can put Velcro on them

so you can take them off for other uses and activities. You can use clear

pockets so that the elements are removable. But remember, don’t have your

kids memorize the symbols. There’s no reason for it and it alienates them and

defeats the purpose of introducing this early to reduce fear.

The Periodic Table Is For Children

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The idea of memorizing the table went out with the 1980’s. Any test situation

you find yourself in where use of the periodic table is required, one will always

be provided. In any place where chemistry is happening a periodic table will be

provided. It is the world’s greatest cheat sheet.

To educate yourself more about the table and how it works, I have written 2

books for educators. Book one, The Fearless and Simple Guide To The Periodic

Table is available at the web site for stupid cheap. And it should be all you need.

Should you want to read further and because I got more questions from parents

who got as addicted to the periodic table as I am, asked, I wrote a second book

and you can find it there as well.

Remember to point your children to the periodic table every once in a while and

ask them to show you elements. When life circumstances bring you close to this

element, be sure to mention it again. This repetition serves to help form neurons

in the brain and make the periodic table be a normal part of life just like maps. In

this way, our kids grow up with no fear of the table and perfectly comfortable in

its use, paving the way for the “harder” sciences to seem like every other sub-

ject; something else fun to do!

Here’s a sampe coloring page from my periodic table coloring book. I chose Iridium in

honor of any of you Minecraft (NOT warcraft) fans out there. From the Feed The Beast

mod.

Iridium Iridium is a stable metal that rarely reacts chemically.

Iridium’s atomic number is 77.

Iridium’s atomic weight is 192.22

Iridium has 77 protons, 77 electrons

It is the most corrosive resistant of all the metals.

Iridium is mainly used is as a hardening agent in Platinum alloys.

Iridium is used for treating prostate and other cancers by high dose radiation

therapy.

Iridium is one of the rarest elements in the earth’s crust.

Iridium is used in the manufacture of crucibles, special containers and other

items that need to be resistant to intense heat.

Iridium is often alloyed with Platinum to make heavy duty electrical contacts

such as high performance technically advanced spark plugs for use in the

automotive and aviation industries.

Iridium is brittle and extremely difficult to machine.

Iridium is alloyed with Osmium and used to tip fountain pen nibs and in pivot

bearings such as those found in compasses, surgical tools and other spe

cial equipment.

History

Iridium was discovered in 1803 by Smithson Tennant in London, England. He

was studying platinum from South America and found Osmium in the leftover

impurities. Tennant isolated Iridium and noticed that the salts it made were of

different colors. He named it after the Latin for rainbow, Iris.

Hey! I hope you enjoyed your free lesson on making your own periodic ta-

ble written by me, Teresa Bondora. Come find me on FACEBOOK!

And while you’re there check out this other stuff:

My group of free lessons: Free Lessons For Caregivers and Teachers

My coloring book’s page and like it!

Teresa Bondora Public Speaker and like it!

I have two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Alabama at Birming-

ham in Science and Health Education.

I taught high school science for 8 years.

I have been an author and homeschool mom for 12 years.

I have published many articles in magazines and newsletters and online

blogs and news sites. Google my name to learn more.

Please share this lesson with your friends. I put love into creating it.

Thank you and I wish for you and those you love, many great experiences

and much increase in all areas of your life.

Teresa