Today was a great day for my students as they experienced their first practical lesson in chemistry. They are newly admitted students who have just entered the secondary school level and they are very excited about learning something new especially in science. I took them through the topic a in chemistry, Acids and Bases, where we discussed both the physical properties and chemical properties of acid and of base.
To make the lesson more practical and exciting for them, I decided to take them to the laboratory. Inside the lab, I brought out two gallons containing different solutions, one was an acid and the other a base.
On the table, I placed two clean Petri dishes and two types of litmus paper, the blue and the red litmus paper. I explained to them that litmus paper helps us test whether a substance is acidic or basic in nature. They followed every step as I spoke and demonstrated to them.
I cleaned the Petri dishes and poured a small quantity of each solution into them. Then I dipped a blue litmus paper into one of the solutions and a red litmus paper into the other.
Instantly, they saw the blue litmus paper turn red in one of the dishes and the red litmus paper turn blue in the other dish. They were so excited as they watched the colour changes. I then asked them which solution was the acid and which was the base from their observation and with excitement on their faces, they replied that the solution that turned blue litmus paper red was the acid, while the one that turned red litmus paper blue was the base. They also observed that there was no colour change when the red litmus was dipped in the acid and none when the blue litmus was placed in the base.
(Acid)
(Base)
That was their first experiment and it became a special moment for them as it was not just about seeing colours change, but it was about observing, discovery, understanding and excitement for learning. They were very happy, asking questions and talking about what they saw.
As we left the lab, I saw the joy on their faces. Their first chemistry practical had given them more than knowledge, it had given them motivation to learn more about science and be serious with their studies and I hope to do more practicals for them to see.
Thanks you for taking your time to read and for your vote.
All pictures used in this post are taken by me!!