The universe's ingredients!

Today we started to look at the periodic table - the ingredient list of all matter. We looked at how each element consists of a different atom. We explored atoms more and learnt that atoms are different from each other because of the number of protons in each one. Every element has a different number of protons (it is written on the table as the atomic number). Some elements have over 100 protons (most atoms also have the same number of electrons as it has protons). Currently there are 118 known elements. There could be more discovered but since they will have so many electrons/protons they will be quite unstable.

We looked at which elements we are familiar with and discussed questions like why steel is not on the table (it is a metal made from a combination of elements).

We discussed how humans have about 40 elements in their bodies but only 4 elements make up most of the  body - oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen.

It was so good to see the students curiously asking so many questions about the teeny tiny atomic level.