If you are looking for a science curriculum for the upcoming school year, check out MEL Science. My son and I recently got a chance to work with two of the experiments from their Chemistry kit. Here is what we did.
My son unboxing the MEL Science Chemistry kit
First, my son learned that one metal can sacrifice itself for another. Insert spiritual/life lesson according to your beliefs. What do we mean by that? MEL Science teaches the concept of corrosion through an experiment called rust protection. On its own, an iron nail rusts in water. But the magnesium strip (provided in the kit) keeps the blue precipitate from forming around the nail. As a result, the nail stays as good as new.
Rust Protection – MEL Science Kit
Why? Magnesium sacrifices some of its electrons to protect the nail. When abandoned one-on-one with oxygen, iron surrenders some electrons. When paired with magnesium, iron receives electrons from magnesium and does not rust. The experiment took about 25 minutes.
Our son working through the experiment