Open a box of cereal and assemble Fruit Loops and paper plates to model the parts of an atom, using a handful of the cereal and a plate. Select an element with a low atomic number, and assign a color for each of its parts; for example, green = protons. Glue each piece to the plate. Write a key on an index card that explains what colors correspond to each part of the atom model. Attach the key to the plate.
Pour some tasty treats from a bag of gumdrops and separate them by color. Use toothpicks to assemble atoms. If you want to create a water molecule, use two green gumdrops for the two hydrogen atoms. Attach a red gumdrop to represent the one oxygen atom. Combine them along the toothpick so that there is a green-red-green sequence. The atoms should form a slight V shape. This is a good activity for creating any small molecule.
Put small plastic beads like those that would be used to create a necklace or prayer beads into a petri dish, and cover the dish. Place the petri dish on the display area of an overhead projector, and turn the projector on. This gives a visual image of how atoms are spaced and helps students to understand an abstract idea.
Demonstrate an atom using globs of clay. Use three colors, for the protons, the neutrons and the electrons. Choose an element like helium. Put two yellow clay globs, representing the protons, and two green clay globs, the neutrons, on a board. Add two red clay globs, which represent the electrons. Use chalk to connect the parts of the atom. Describe the structure of the atom.