Teachers Impacted: Steven Kenney, Julie Johnston, Jeremy Blansett, and Arden Zimmerman

Grade Levels Impacted: 10th,11th

Students Impacted: 310

Description: Molecule modeling kits offer chemistry students a hands-on way to visualize and understand abstract chemical concepts with greater accuracy than improvised craft-type materials. Unlike makeshift models, which often distort bond lengths, angles, and spatial relationships, therefore relying on the students to already understand the concepts in order to create the models, molecular kits are designed to accurately represent real atomic sizes, bonding capacities, and geometric constraints. This allows students to explore true-to-scale 3D molecular structures and better grasp how atoms connect and interact. By physically building and manipulating models, students move beyond memorizing formulas and flat diagrams to seeing chemistry in motion-understanding molecular geometry in a tangible way. Modeling also promotes critical thinking and problem-solving as students test and visualize how structure affects chemical behavior. For visual and kinesthetic learners, these kits transform difficult topics into interactive discovery, bridging the gap between theory and reality. Ultimately, molecular modeling kits provide both precision and engagement, deepening conceptual understanding.