Showing the True Face of Chemistry in a Service-Learning Outreach Course

We describe a service-learning course in which college students developed hands-on chemistry laboratory activities for elementary school children. These activities were then conducted with children both in area classrooms and in our own laboratories. This course allowed our students to apply their knowledge of chemical principles while introducing young children to chemistry as an exciting discipline. Children were surveyed before and after outreach activities to gauge their attitudes about science, including their perceptions about gender and science. Other assessment included student course evaluations and impressions of participating teachers, both of which suggested that this course had a positive impact on both our own students and the participating children.