STINKS, BANGS & BOOMS: THE RISE & FALL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMISTRY SET is a website that provides a fascinating look at the history of this beloved resource.
Sponsored by the Chemical Heritage Foundation, this award winning website uses an interactive timeline to explore the inception, heyday, decline, and resurgence of the American Chemistry Set.
The amazing story is told through the use of historical drawings, photographs, text, narration, and music. Interactive elements and mini-games keep readers interested. Users have the opportunity to learn more or move on to the next section.
A particularly interesting activity involves exploring chemistry sets from different time periods.
Users can listen to the stories of people who grew up with a chemistry set and participants can even record their own stories.
Librarians will find lots of uses for this amazing website. It’s an exciting way to discuss timelines and the idea of change over time. Involve youth in analyzing their favorite toy such as the history of LEGO. It’s also a fun way to bring historical photos and other primary sources to life. Consider creating a display that shows a chemistry set and labels the variety parts. Also include books of science experiments that youth can try at home.
To explore the website, go to http://chemistryset.chemheritage.org.
