Acids and Bases word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Acids and Bases word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this acids and bases puzzle set for my 4th graders during our chemistry unit. The kids had heard of lemon juice being sour and soap being slippery but had no idea why or what pH meant. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like acid, base, pH, neutral, sour, bitter, slippery, corrosive, indicator, litmus paper, hydrogen, hydroxide, lemon, vinegar, baking soda, and water. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the vocabulary click.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether water is an acid or a base. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple pH scale drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 4th through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers name one common acid and one common base from home on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.