Matter and Molecules

A bunch of 5 students ( primary school children) enrolled for my first session. All boys 😦 . I was breaking my head not knowing where to start and what to teach them first.

To make the session interesting, I had to choose a topic that would hold the interest to this gang. But then I cannot teach them some random science stuff as they have very limited knowledge on science (mostly from the cartoons they watch).

Banging my head for two days I decided start with matter and molecules. Introducing molecules at this age?.. hmmm all possibilities that they would not return for the next class.. I thought.

Matter is anything that has mass and has volume. For example air, water, book, we, etc. Atoms and molecules are the building blocks of matter. Aren’t they?Atleast if not atoms I thought that I should introduce the concept of molecules. It will help me in future to explain most of the scientific phenomena in detail.

So when they came, I asked them to tear a small piece of paper into tiny- mini pieces.. as small as possible.

Then I chose the smallest piece and told them that even that small piece has millions of tiny spheres called molecules which forms the basic building blocks of matter.

Sounds silly right? Even I thought so.. But couldn’t find an alternate way to convey the concept to primary kids.

I was feeling nervous when I asked them for feedback about the class – as if am the student and they, my examiners.To my surprise they loved the silly activity and they were thrilled to learn that things around us contained millions of particles which they can’t see with their naked eyes.

Till date they remember what molecules are and am happy that I was able to drive the point using an elementary activity.