Tuesday, May 06, 2008

3 Things You Should Know

Here are a 3 things that drive me crazy as a science teacher and I'm sure many of you already know them but maybe you can share them with your children:)
1. Nothing is chemical free. Water is a chemical, so is the air you breathe. A chemical is made up of any of the elements on the periodic table. If you want to say it has no additives or pesticides or preservatives, say that. If you say than an object is made without chemicals, then it is not an object at all. When water companies claim that their water is chemical free, it just doesn't make sense.
2. We are animals. Yes, people are in the animal kingdom. We are mammals. Kids in grade 9 are shocked to hear that they are animals.
3. A fruit is anything with a seed. Yes, tomatoes and cucumbers are fruit.
I'm sure most of you knew this but I just needed to get it out:)

7 comments:

  1. hehe...reading that put a smile on face :) i forgot some of those facts since leaving high school.

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  2. are gourds fruit too, then?

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  3. If we are going to nit-pick, I should correct your statement that "nothing is chemical free". From two perspectives there is indeed much that is chemical free. When viewed from a sub-atomic level, everything is chemical free (I doubt there are chemicals in an electron or a quark). Furthermore, that which is immaterial is also certainly chemical free (one's soul, angels, etc). Anyway, thank you for the consumer awareness reminder.

    p.s. what's the deal with gourds? Could they have a stranger name?

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  4. spaghetti squash?
    Hehe.
    Ayden refuses to believe I'm not joking when i tell him people are animals. He laughs at me and says, "you're so funny, mommy." When he gets to grade 9 he's in for a shock.

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  5. Tyler, I did mean to say no noun is chemical free. you are correct in saying that subatomic particles are not made of elements but I can't think of objects that are just made of subatomic particles besides atoms themselves.

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  6. So am I going to get an answer to my question here or do I need to go to Wikipedia?

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  7. Never had a gourd before but Gary tells me its like a squash, which contains seeds, therefore is a fruit. THe fruit is actually the ovary that contains the seeds. Enjoy your ovaries everyone!

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