How to Clean Copper Pennies

Introduce your budding scientist to chemical reactions with this simple and fun science experiment! Students will find 6 tarnished pennies and put each one into a different liquid for 10 minutes. When they're done, they'll compare how well each liquid cleaned (or didn't clean) their pennies. 

This experiment is a great way to teach third through fifth graders about atoms and chemical reactions. Students will be introduced to fundamental concepts of chemistry in an engaging, tangible activity designed to encourage scientific thinking and analysis. Young scientists will draw on this knowledge as they continue to learn about physics and chemistry. 

Learn more in worksheets like Physical Change vs Chemical Change and Science Review: Chemical vs Physical Properties.