We are using The Elements this year and I like it very much. Along with it, we are watching a video for each element at the Periodic Table of Videos web site and reading the page for that element in the book The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. For a while we were finding samples of the elements (or a compound) but we are far enough along now in the periodic table that we can rarely find a sample anymore.
Talk about making connections! History, geography… explosions LOL. It has been a great study. Ellen McHenry’s The Elements is great chemistry – but still entertaining. It has made me realize how interesting chemistry really is, but it was made into horrible drudgery by my high school chemistry class. I want to learn more lol.
btw I started the year by reading this book myself, and I highly recommend it for a high school student or adult wanting to get comfortable with chemistry or the elements that make up our world – The Periodic Kingdom.
We will definitely be using Carbon Chemistry at some point. I think The Elements would be great for a coop since so many of the activities are designed to be done with a larger group of participants than I normally have at home lol. The skits are wonderful!