Valentine's Day for middle schoolers

[jsfowler]

Any suggestions? I want to do something for them but they are too old to decorate boxes and give out cards. Right now, I am studing chemistry and I am getting ready to decorate my door with Dating Chemistry. I am relating the types of chemical reactions to dating. For example, synthesis - dating; decomposition - breaking up; single replacement - find a new boyfriend; double replacement - both people find new partners. We really have a lot of fun decorating our doors and everyone tries to tie it to their curriculum. For Christmas, I did ChemisTREE. So besides the door, any suggestions of what I can do in class. I like for everything to be educational. It doesn't have to be chemistry, but I would like it to tie to science somehow. Any interdisciplinary lesson plans for Valentine's Day?

[Chef Dave]

Why not study the chemistry of chocolate?

http://www.chocolate-chemistry.com/

As a hands on activity, each student could bring a Hershey bar which could be melted using a double boiler and poured into a heart shaped mold filled with shredded coconut or chopped nuts. The mold could be refrigerated overnight to set the chocolate which then could easily be popped out of the molds.

It would be interesting to compare/contrast different types of chocolate: milk, dark, white, sweet dark, etc.

If you really wanted to explore the culinary aspects of chocolate, you could also make your own chocolate using bittersweet chocolate which has 65-85% cocoa solids depending upon the brand. Bittersweet chocolate is typically mixed with heavy cream to create a "ganache."

http://video.about.com/candy/Chocolate-Mint-Truffles.htm

[Boxcar]

I like the ideas you had for your door a lot.

Making chocolate sounds fun to me. In my Chemistry class in high school, we made ice cream. It was awesome.

[jsfowler]

Oh, well...I guess I don't have to worry about doing anything now...We have been out of school since Tuesday and won't return until next Tuesday. I hate snow!

[Boxcar]

That is sad you didn't get to do anything. At least, you don't have to cope with the distracted kids...