Apologia Chemistry: LEGO Molecules

 I’m working ahead on presentations and labs for the remote Co-op class.  My kids are going to balance equations with nuts, bolts, Bottle Caps, and Legos.  The LEGO molecules are particularly useful.  The Egerton Center at MIT has developed molecular sets.  The LEGO blocks are color-coded for atoms.  There are Chemical reactions with Legos and a wet lab—Reaction in a Bag.  The kids complete the wet lab and then construct LEGO models for the chemical reaction.  The Center has a few additional reactions.  If you find your teen struggling with balancing, pull out some Legos and see if a hands-on approach works.  Remind your child, both reactants and products must have the same total numbers.  Next week, I’m checking to see if all of the kids have Legos.  I do not.  I do have plastic blocks I can loan.