Matter Lab 6-8
A kitchen-table chemistry bench: atoms, states of matter, density, mixtures, reactions, acids and bases, and a design project.
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Matter Lab
A free online chemistry course for Grades 6 to 8: a kitchen-table bench, atoms and states of matter, density, mixtures, chemical change, acids and bases, and a design project.
About the series
Matter Lab is a free online chemistry course for Grades 6 to 8 that uses only kitchen materials. Students set up the Bench at home, keep a Bench Log, and work the same questions as Rocket, Raven and Nova. Week by week they learn what matter and atoms are and how to read the periodic table, how particles behave in solids, liquids and gases, how heat changes state, why things float or sink, how mixtures and solutions work, how atoms join into molecules, how to tell a physical change from a chemical change, why mass is conserved in a sealed bag, how a red cabbage indicator sorts acids from bases, why some reactions warm up and others cool down, and how natural resources become new materials. It ends with a device the student designs, builds, tests and improves. Every fact comes from a NIST, NIH, USGS, NASA or university page listed in the course sources. Short lessons run Monday to Friday, with a hands-on Bench Lab each week, and Saturday is Bench Day with the family.
In every course
- Grades 6 to 8, about 20 minutes a day
- Twelve weeks, from atoms to your own design project
- A chemistry bench built from kitchen things, never household cleaners
- Reference data from NIST, the NIH and the USGS read as tables each week
- A grown-up handles heat and cutting; safety glasses on fizzing weeks
- Models of molecules and reactions built from beans and paper
- A Saturday Bench Day for the family, with a note for the grown-up
- Free, start to finish. No card.
The course
The course is free, start to finish.
Questions families ask
What does it cost?
Nothing. Matter Lab is free from start to finish, with no card. A free parent account saves each student's progress.
What do we need at home?
Water, salt, sugar, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, dish soap, cooking oil, food coloring, a red cabbage, clear cups, zip bags, measuring spoons and a notebook. A kitchen scale and a digital thermometer help but are not required.
Is there anything dangerous?
The course uses kitchen ingredients only and never household cleaners, bleach, ammonia, batteries, matches or candles. Nothing is tasted or sniffed. A grown-up handles anything hot or sharp, and the fizzing and indicator weeks call for safety glasses or sunglasses. Every hands-on activity carries a safety note.
Does it teach chemical equations?
No. Reactions are taught the way the middle-school standards ask: atoms regroup, none appear or vanish, so mass is conserved. Models are drawings and bean-and-paper molecules. Equation balancing and electrons wait for high school.
Does it need an app or a website?
No. Lessons are read on screen and the hands-on work happens at the kitchen table.
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