periodic table meltdown

[ksm]

What happens when a difficult child waits til the last day to finish a big science project? You guessed it. Not a pretty sight in out family room tonight. The display board has got all the names of the elements on it Monday night. Last night, she started putting samples on the board. They are required to have 20 but you need 40 for an A. She wants an A. But, why didn't she start this a month ago when it was assigned??? We can use 5 photos to represent the item. We are at 30 items now... (including photos) and not good enough. Well, it is good enough for me. I have been working on this for 3 mights with her and have taken way too much verbal abuse because she is frustrated. The whole family is walking on egg shells.

It is almost bedtime... and she will be a bear. No fun. And waking up tomorrow will be no fun. KSM

 

[HaoZi]

So are you needing ideas for elements or just venting? Did she already use baby powder for talc?

 

[buddy]

I did the same thing all the way through Grad school, just procrastinated until I panicked every single time. I dont know why and it somehow worded for me in that I didn't fail anything, Got great grades but I did put myself thru he11 over it. That organization and doing things on time is a tough one. (I dont remember ever verbally abusing anyone though, maybe some teen age drama, lol)

 

[ksm]

So are you needing ideas for elements or just venting? Did she already use baby powder for talc?

I was venting... but would appreciate help too! But I don't see talc on the periodic table. I looked it up and it says:magnesium, silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen

so we are making a little baggie of it and adding it to the board. Thanks! Any more ideas?? We have copper, zinc, nickle, gold, silver, aluminum, calcium, chromium, sodium, oxygen, lithium, cadmium, magnesium, potassium, and more. too tired to keep writing. We get to use photos for only 5. I think she is up to 34 or 35 elements. BUT... she has had a month... and only worked on it after school this week. Of course, it is due tomorrow.... KSM

 

[HaoZi]

My bad on the talc, I was thinking the Mohs scale, it's magnesium. Modern pencil leads are graphite (an allotrope of carbon). Would you happen to have some iodine on hand she could make a stain with?

ETA: zinc lozenges? Would the cobalt blue crayon be good enough to rep cobalt? A can for tin (even if they're not made of that anymore)?

 

[JJJ]

Hydrogen: an inflated balloon
Beryllium: an emerald (or bit of green glass) it is the precious form of beryl
Indium: a Canadian flag? (they are the largest producers of it)
Chlorine: a bit of cloth soaked in bleach (to get the smell of it??)

 

[svengandhi]

Oy, and I thought my 7th grader's assignment to make an "edible molecule" was ridiculous. That's due on Tuesday.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Where on earth do teachers get these whacky ideas??!

 

[ksm]

Hydrogen: an inflated balloon
Beryllium: an emerald (or bit of green glass) it is the precious form of beryl
Indium: a Canadian flag? (they are the largest producers of it)
Chlorine: a bit of cloth soaked in bleach (to get the smell of it??)

We hunted all over the house last night - no balloon... we were going to use it to represent helium. But we used a photo from the web of a helium balloon. Chlorine - we used comet with bleach granules. Maybe I can find a green stone (fake jewelry for Beryllium). THanks.

 

[ksm]

Where on earth do teachers get these whacky ideas??!

Oh, I don't, know... but it is the same lovely science teacher that got her to buy two gerbils from him. They had them in class, and they were part of a litter. I think she should get extra credit for that!! KSM

 

[ksm]

My bad on the talc, I was thinking the Mohs scale, it's magnesium. Modern pencil leads are graphite (an allotrope of carbon). Would you happen to have some iodine on hand she could make a stain with?

ETA: zinc lozenges? Would the cobalt blue crayon be good enough to rep cobalt? A can for tin (even if they're not made of that anymore)?

We did the pencil lead for carbon, part of a can for tin, and a coin has some zinc in it... I don't have any iodine. Well the morning is here, and soon difficult child and this display board will be gone. Am thinking about saving it for two years from now when little sis has this class. LOL! KSM

 

[TerryJ2]

Wristwatch, batteries ...
but she's probably already left for school. I'll remember to come to this board when my difficult child needs help!
Sigh.
The weird part is that I thought that chart was carved in stone when I was a kid. Now there are all these weird elements on it that I've never heard before.