Tie-Dye Name Tag Activity (Physical vs Chemical Change)

Description

Turn the first day of a chemistry unit into an unforgettable hands-on experience! Students use shaving cream, food coloring, and a plain index card to create a vibrant tie-dye name tag — then use their observations to unpack the difference between physical and chemical changes. It doubles as a back-to-school icebreaker AND a science lesson, giving students a personalized keepsake by the end of class. What's inside (5 pages): Page 1 — Title block, overview, learning objectives, complete materials list, and student safety guidelines Page 2 — Four pre-activity questions with writing space to activate prior knowledge and record predictions Page 2–3 — Nine-step numbered procedure written in clear, student-friendly language (including clean-up) Page 3 — Structured observation section for recording the card BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER the experiment Pages 3–4 — Six post-activity analysis questions, ending with an 8-item "physical or chemical?" classification challenge Page 5 — Reflection section with six open-ended prompts and a 1–5 self-assessment confidence scale