When I was a kid I bought waterproof dynamite. I was interested in it because it seemed like a chemistry marvel, but I was too much of a “rule follower” to try it out. What if it cracked the walls of our swimming pool or killed the fish in the nearby lake?!
My brother was the antithesis to my rule-loving heart, and he proceeded to drop the dynamite in our upstairs toilet. I can still hear my mother’s screams of terror as water flooded through the ceiling from the toilet that now had a massive hole in its side.
Disclaimer: after introducing you to this resource, you may find yourself also screaming in terror.
Who is the Backyard Scientist?
The Backyard Scientist is a YouTube sensation! He’s that “kid at heart” kinda guy who’s been handed a bunch of money by YouTube to make things explode. If that doesn’t get your kids engaged, then I don’t know what will! Your job is just to make sure your kiddos follow his advice and “not try this at home”!
If you’re looking to amp up your Chemistry lessons, or get your middle schoolers more exposure to interesting science experiments (ie: more than mixing baking soda and vinegar together), then check him out! I will caution you to watch the video before showing it to you kiddos because there is occasionally (somewhat) inappropriate language. Overall though, he’s a great resource!
What’s really cool is he will often link scientific articles in the description box of his videos, so if you’re looking to amp up your kids’ exposure to scientific writing, here’s a great way to do that!
Go Look Him Up!
And now I send you off to the YouTube vortex. I somehow always end up meandering over to the videos that show dogs greeting soldiers when they return from deployment. I’m not crying…you’re crying!