Australia's Science Forum

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

Knee jerk reaction of stupidity!

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!!

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

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.

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.

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.

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