Science Scary? Hopatcong First-Graders Say 'Chemistry is Fun'

Those who walked past Mellany Barroqueiro’s first grade classroom at Hudson Maxim School last week heard a sound that may have surprised them: six- and seven-year-old kids chanting, “Chemistry is fun!”

The shouting was the students' reaction to a special lesson that featured Prof. Amber Charlebois, a former class parent and friend of Barroqueiro who visited the class to share her love of science by giving the children a chemistry demonstration, according to a Hopatcong Borough Schools statement.

Charlebois—whom the class dubbed "Dr. Demo"—introduced the kids to the subject of chromatography, a scientific procedure employed to separate liquids into their different components. Students were able to experiment with a coffee filter, colored markers and water to see how capillary action,  the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without using gravity, separated, blended and raise the colors to create unique butterfly pictures.

According to the statement, the students found the act of integrating science and art engaging and lots of fun. In fact, the kids said learning science with “Dr. Demo” was a huge hit.