Meanwhile, in Florida..

[Xenon]

Schoolkid expelled after reacting aluminium foil with sodium hydroxide in a plastic bottle, in an unsupervised experiment in the playground. Bottle explodes, and the assistant principal rings the police who charge the student with possessing, making, placing and discharging a destructive device. Good grief, bad choice but no-one was hurt. Hardly compares to recent student activity in the Boston area.
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/ ... to_cri.php

[sunray18]

Knee jerk reaction of stupidity!

[rae]

LOL! We had a kid bring the stuff to school and the teacher took them outside and I think the kid demo'd it for the whole class. It was really stupid thing to do and I think the teacher regretted it later but there is no accounting for stupidity though I wouldn't have thought it was a criminal offence!!

[macca]

Don't you just love though on page 2 of the article it has a movie clip on how too!!!!!!!!!!!

[linotas]

One of our teachers (who happens to have a PHD in Chem) was talking about this today. He was a bit shocked since he has done the exact same experiment at least a dozen times at this school since he started here last year.

[Graham Kemp]

It's the "unsupervised" and "playground" parts that are the problem.

Discoraging students from playing with explosives on the playground is a good idea. Even mild ones.

Still, using federal criminal prosecution to do so might just be a something of an over reaction.

[Graham Kemp]

And meanwhile, closer to home: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-10/e ... en/4682220

A line has got to be drawn somewhere, because crossing it can be tragic.

[smeee]

A guy I went to high school with had an accident with making a backyard rocket.
This is his story.......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_McMahon

Something good...great...... has come out of his experience