October 6, 2010

 In your kit you’ll find a paper that says, “READ ME BEFORE YOU BEGIN.” Please do so.  The CD contains a printable.pdf file of both the youth and facilitator guides. In addition there is information and handouts for youth, including the 4-H Inquiry in Action model and Intro to Inquiry text. Use these to give your science day event more impact.  The CD contains a PowerPoint presentation to use with youth. Feel free to modify it to meet the needs of your groups.

Bromothymol Blue indicator 3 Safety Goggles - to be shared by youth teams 1 Eye dropper

If you want additional materials, you can use a syringe- with the needle removed of course – to measure the 2 ml. portions of Bromothymol blue. These are available at feed stores for animal use.

Protective gloves Apron- large plastic garbage sacks will work For Experiment Parts 1 & 2 Youth can work in teams of 2-3 learners. For each team:  4 clear plastic cups  2-3 flexible straws  3 sandwich size zip seal bags  2 packets of 2 each effervescent antacid tablets

Although the Experiment information calls for 16 oz cups the 10 oz size will hold 8 oz of water or the equivalent of a 16 oz cup that is half full.

 Exposure Controls/Personal Protection- Page 4 of the Facilitator’s Guide Skin Protection: Wear protective gloves and clean bodycovering clothing. Eye Protection: Safety glasses. *MSDS: Material Safety Data Sheet

Bromothymol Blue turns yellow in the presence of an acid.  When CO2 dissolves in water, it reacts to form carbonic acid (H2CO3). The chemical formula looks like this: CO2 + H2O > H2CO3

Use the products below to show youth how Bromothymol Blue reacts to Acids and Bases before beginning the experiment: Acids-  pH 2Lemon Juice-  pH 3White vinegar  pH 4Lemon-Lime soft drink  pH 5Seltzer water  Neutral  pH 7Water- tap or distilled  Bases  pH 8Baking soda in water  pH 9Antacid in water

Use a control for this demonstration and compare it to the color change when youth do the experiment. Vinegar is an acid. The Bromothymol blue turns yellow in the presence of an acid. Baking Soda is basic = Blue

 Discuss the Carbon Cycle with Youth-  Plants capture sunlight in the photosynthesis process- Water + Carbon Dioxide + Sunlight Produces Glucose & Oxygen

 People are part of the Carbon Cycle.  Read the word document on the CD Can I Change the Ocean- Climate Chemistry for an explanation of weather, climate and climate chemistry.  Print the handout Carbon Cycle Youth Handout to discuss with youth. See the answers on the next slide.

2 4 1.Carbon is in this form here: _________Carbon Dioxide_________ 2. Carbon is captured by plants with this process: _____________Photosynthesis___________ The apple contains this carbon containing material: ___Carbohydrate_______________________ 3. When the apple is eaten, carbon is released here by this process: _______Digestion_______________ 4. Carbon is released here by this process: Respiration________________________ 3 1

 Register your group at Print the handout Inquiry in Action for youth. Discuss how to design an experiment- Ask youth to develop an “If > Then” hypothesis. “If one person blows into the water for 30 seconds then this is what will happen….”

 Ask youth to list the Independent, Dependent and Controlled variable in their experimental design.  Independent variables answer the question “What do we change?”  Dependent variables answer the question “What do we observe?”  Controlled variables answer the question “What do we keep the same?”

The Independent Variable is the amount of CO2 in the water. The Dependent Variable is the change in pH of the water when CO2 is added. The Controlled Variable is the amount of water and Bromothymol Blue indicator in each cup.

Slowly blow bubbles into the cup. Be sure not to suck the fluid up the straw! The yellow color indicates that the water has become more acidic.

 Work with youth to fill in the blanks- you may wish to ask youth to collect some of this information with their parents before the activity.  Use the Gas Bill Handout on the CD to discuss Therms.

 For more information and an animation on the carbon cycle see ex.html, “Let’s Learn about the Carbon Cycle” ex.html  For more information and an animation on the water cycle see ex.html, “Let’s Learn about the Water Cycle” ex.html