ACS National Chemistry Week Theme Is “The Joy of Toys”

Newswise — Did children who lived a thousand years ago have toys? The answer is, "yes." They used handmade items made from animal bones, stone and wood. And ancient Greek children played with rattles and dolls made from clay.

Because of such a rich history of generating fun, and because of chemistry's important role in producing playthings, the American Chemical Society this year has chosen "The Joy of Toys" as the theme for National Chemistry Week (NCW), Oct.16-22.

As in the past, ACS, the world's largest scientific society, has chosen several educational and fun hands-on activities for the nation's children. Some of the NCW experiments: "Zippy Zappy Boats," "It's a Gas" and "In-the-Know About Glow."

As part of the National Chemistry Week 2005 celebration and in recognition of its toys theme, the American Chemical Society is sponsoring a poster contest for students in grades K-12. Students are invited to create a poster that will serve as a public service announcement emphasizing the role of science/chemistry in toys for their peers or other age group.

For the latest information on NCW, go to: http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=ncw%5Cncw_index.html

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization, chartered by the U.S. Congress, with a multidisciplinary membership of more than 158,000 chemists and chemical engineers. It publishes numerous scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.