National Periodic Table Day is Feb. 7th!

National Periodic Table Day overlay on a periodic table image

If you didn't know, is this Thursday, Feb. the 7th. More info about the day can be found on . Organizers recommend you use #PeriodicTableDay on social media to post how you are celebrating. The Periodic Table is 150 years old this year so besides observing Thursday, we are celebrating the for all of 2019! Keep reading for some of my favorite periodic table resources.

 Figure 1: The February 2019 cover of ChemMatters.1

  • In David Warmflash's article, , published in this months issue of ChemMatters (see Figure 1), he explains that the table is holding up well under the test of time - and science. 
  • As a high school teacher, I love using the TED talk (see below), The Genius of Mendeleev's Periodic Table, featuring Lou Serico to introduce my students to the beauty of the periodic table.2

  • I love using stories from many of author .
  • I also show my students a video (see below) featuring Theo Gray regarding the periodic table.3  (On a side note, will be a guest speaker at

  • Because 2019 has been designated the International Year of the Periodic Table, not a day goes by that I don't see a social media post regarding celebrating this milestone. For example, I just came across an article, , in Science Magazine that shows a brief visual history of the periodic table. 
  • If you wish to test your knowledge or your students knowledge of the periodic table then check out , an activity published by BBC News. 
  • Of course, you might want to try that test after watching The Periodic Table Song video below.4 

No matter how you wish to celebrate the Periodic Table, you might want to get a cake or tie a balloon to your classroom periodic table. I hope you share your celebrations in the comments below and/or on social media!

1 -  (accessed 2/3/2019)

2 - TED-Ed YouTube, (accessed 2/3/2019)

3 - Reactions YouTube,  (accessed 2/3/2019)

4 - AsapSCIENCE YouTube, (accessed 2/3/2019)

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