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For nearly an hour, about 30 fourth-graders at Henry Ferguson Elementary School broke up into small groups, strapped on goggles and toiled like mad scientists as they learned hands-on basics about pH balance, including mixing acids and bases.

"I wonder how the acid will taste," said fourth-grader Camille Jones, 10, of Accokeek.

"I'm not drinking that anytime soon — it's acid," replied her classmate, Gabriel O'Harran, 10, of Accokeek.

During a special Chemistry Day lesson Friday at the Accokeek school, fun and science went hand in hand. But the day had deeper meaning for parents and teachers who say that chemistry is a complex subject that often doesn't grab the attention of students when they encounter it later in their education.

The lesson was sponsored by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in partnership with the American Chemical Society. Together, the two organizations arrange Chemistry Day programs in classes throughout the region to introduce grade-school students to chemical science — an often cloudy subject that usually doesn't make its way into curricula until middle and high school.

"One of the problems with chemistry is that it requires a lot of math," said Tima Banks of Fort Washington, a parent at the school and chemical engineer. "Kids aren't intimidated by chemistry if they are introduced to it at a young age."

Banks said she hopes the students can see that science isn't limited to just space, the environment and animals, which tend to make up the bulk of grade schools' science education, she said.

But for students, the significance of the lesson gave way to the fun of mixing chemicals and watching neutralized liquids change colors as they huddled around lab beakers in awe of the transformation.

"I get it. The citric acid will dissolve in water — it's having a chemical reaction," said Alexis Hawkins, 10, of Accokeek.

"It seems funs because we never really learn chemistry," said Temple Palacio, 10, of Accokeek.

Chemistry Day is currently a pilot program at Ferguson, but exists in school districts around throughout the metropolitan region including Prince George's County.

Nicholas Ohlson, the Ferguson students' teacher, said that children often will retain and build on education they learn during interactive lessons like Chemistry Day.

"Instead of reading a book, [this lesson] is more hands-on. It has more meaning," he said. "[The students are] in control of their learning and they're excited."

Ohlson approached Derris Banks, a Ferguson parent who works with the USPTO and does Chemistry Day lessons in other schools, to bring the program to the school. Banks said he hopes to expand the program into an additional classroom at Ferguson in the fall.

"I thought [the curriculum] needed enrichment," said Banks, Tima Banks' husband. "The earlier you get [students], the better."

E-mail Joshua Garner at jgarner@gazette.net.