Durham for STEM Education! Nature’s Chemistry - Create Living Color

Nature’s Chemistry: Create Living Color

Ages 8–14

What if color was not just something you chose—but something that responded to its environment?

In this hands-on workshop, students will explore the chemistry behind natural pigments by extracting color from plants and transforming it into interactive, color-changing artwork. Using safe, plant-based dyes and simple household acids and bases, participants will discover how certain pigments change color in response to their surroundings.

Through guided experiments and creative exploration, students will learn about:

Acids, bases, and pH indicators

Chemical reactions and molecular interactions

How environmental conditions can alter material properties

As students create their own framed, pH-responsive artwork, we will connect these concepts to real-world environmental issues—such as how soil chemistry affects plant health, how water quality is monitored using chemical indicators, and how ecosystems respond to changes in pollution and climate.

Each participant will take home:

A color-changing artwork

A deeper understanding of how chemistry shapes the natural world

This workshop blends science, art, and environmental awareness, inviting students to see chemistry not as abstract equations, but as a living process that surrounds us every day.