My son has been excited to start Apologia's rigorous science program with seventh grade General Science. 

The first module is a review of the history of science (and you thought you'd escape a history lesson!  lol)  He had fun reviewing ancient cultures, like Egypt and China,  who dabbled with science before they knew what science actually was.  He reviewed how the early Greeks started to get a foothold in scientific discovery, just to be overshadowed by the Dark Ages.  During the Dark Ages, alchemists enjoyed playing with various chemicals, creating strange concoctions that produced amazing effects (chemical reactions). They had no idea what was happening or why.  Nevertheless, they attempted to produce gold from lead and other substances. Vainless attempts at this is what comes from not understanding science. 

Last year my kids read a great literature book, The Trumpeter of Krakow, while learning about the Dark Ages in history. This is a wonderful 1929 Newberry Award book set in Poland with the main plot line about an actual historical event in Krakow that caused the trumpet's broken note...that is reenacted even today if you visit the city.  A side story was of one alchemist, who scared off the bad guys with his eery concoctions (chemical reactions).  My kids had found this scene most thrilling!

Recently I read aloud GA Henty's A March on London: Being a Story of Wat Tyler's Insurrection.   The hero, who helps to tame the insurrection, has a father who is an alchemist.  When he leaves his father to fight for the king, he is worried about leaving his father defenseless against the impassioned mobs who were certain to threaten their home.  The father assured his son, that with his various chemicals, he had a plan.  My kids anxiously awaited this scene (which didn't come until towards the end of the book), when the hero came home, victorious from taming the insurrections.  On arrival home, the son listened to the story of how his father scared the bejeebers out of the attackers with a glowing, gibbering skull and flashes of light emanating from the property.  Every detail hysterically delighted us!  The book explained in detail how nothing supernatural was going on.   The alchemist merely knew that certain substances produced glowing effects (chemical reactions), although he had no idea why.  

My son got to do a lab to show chemical reactions.   He boiled some cabbage leaves in water.  Then he put some of that and vinegar into an empty soda pop bottle.  He had baking soda in a balloon, which he put onto the neck of the bottle.  When he dumped the baking soda from the balloon into the bottle he got to see all kinds of reactions.  The fizzing  (chemical reaction) produced gas which inflated the balloon.   The cabbage water had been pink.  But after a while it turned blue, because of yet another chemical reaction.   

One thing I like about the Apologia books, is that Dr. Wylie explains exactly what is happening!  My son was able to write a great lab report on the checmical reactions in the experiment and the connections he learned between real science and alchemy.