Science with elementary students

Our volunteers visited an elementary school classroom to run a hands-on experiment: finding out whether a green leaf is really just green.

What we did

Students crushed leaves, mixed them with rubbing alcohol, and hung strips of paper in the liquid. As the alcohol climbed the paper, the pigments in the leaf traveled different distances and separated into colored bands. This is called paper chromatography.

Before the activity, volunteers explained the idea behind it: the paper holds pigments back while the alcohol pulls them upward, so different pigments end up at different heights. Then students made predictions, ran the experiment, and compared what they saw.

Chromatography strip showing bands of pink, red and green — Pigments from leaves separate into bands as the alcohol climbs the paper.

A second strip with red and green bands — Every leaf gives a different pattern.

A strip with tan and green bands — Some leaves show hidden yellows and browns.

A strip with tan and olive-green bands — Students compared their strips and made predictions.

Photos from the visit

Volunteers presenting a slide about why the colors separate while students work at their desks — Volunteers explain how the colors separate before students try it.

Volunteers gathered at a front table demonstrating the experiment to seated students — A demonstration at the front of the room.

A volunteer helping a group of students crush leaves at a cluster of desks — Students crush leaves in small groups.

A student and a classmate working on the experiment with a cup of leaves — Hands-on work at every desk.

A volunteer watching as two students work on their experiment — Volunteers circulate to help.

Volunteers and students working throughout the classroom — The whole class in action.

In the news

The Caesar Rodney School District shared our visit on Facebook.

Link to the district's Facebook post coming soon.

Want to help with the next one?

We're planning more classroom science visits. If you like explaining how things work, we'd like to hear from you.

Photos are shared with permission from the school. We don't publish students' names.

Email info@firststatevolunteers.org