Magic of Chemistry™

This is a hands-on, inquiry-based educational program for junior Girl Scouts (fourth through eighth graders). It is designed to ignite girls’ interest in science. Workshops are held on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus in the Durham Science Center. In small groups, the girls visit the various workshop stations, where girls complete the experiments.

The goals of the workshops are "Be Safe. Have Fun, Learn Something." Our top priority is safety, including in the lab. We also want to ensure the girls have fun at the workshop. In this environment, we hope they will learn something, too. Eighty-five percent of the girls and one hundred percent of the parents agreed that all three goals were met. According to our survey results, the girls left feeling "satisfied," "awesome," and "happy."

Daily Schedule

The day begins at 8:30 A.M. with an introduction in a lecture room. After the introduction, the girls will be split into groups. They will complete two experiment stations in the morning.

Lunch is from about 11:15 to noon. During lunch, girls will get to hear from a guest speaker who is in a field related to the activities of the day. We have had speakers from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office CSI and from Nature Works.

Experiments will resume at 12:10, with two more stations. All four experiments will be completed in real chemistry labs in the Durham Science Center. At the end of the day both girls and parents will receive a survey and closing statements will be conducted in the lecture room.

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We offer 3 different workshops: Fun with Polymers, Chemistry of Color, and The Case of the Unsigned Letter.

Fun with Polymers- What is a polymer? Where do they come from and how do we use them? Find out when you become a product consultant for a fictitious company, Polymer Fun, Inc. Visit with “research scientists” to make and evaluate new polymer products and take your new product samples home for more fun!

Chemistry of Color- Learn the chemistry of dyeing cotton with fiber reactive dyes (yes, you get to tie-dye!), use ion chromatography to see what is in water besides water, try secret writing, create a pH “color chart” to determine the pH of several household products, study ultra violet light and how we use sunscreen to protect ourselves from it, and much more!

The Case of the Unsigned Letter- Put your CSI and sleuthing abilities to the test with this mystery! Be a forensic investigator and help crack the Case of the Unsigned Letter. Hands-on experiments and a cast of hilarious suspects make this a super fun day you won’t want to miss.

Click here to view upcoming Girl Scouts: The Magic of Chemistry events.