Aluminum

I chose Aluminum for my element to draw. I do not have a favorite element, but aluminum is one that I am more familar with so that is why I chose it. There are 13 protons, thus 13 neutrons in the nucleus which is verified by green and orange P and N's. The outside rings are filled with 14 electrons; 2 in the first ring, 8 in the one following that and 4 in the last one. This is a drawing of the atom Aluminum.

My major is ECE... if I were to describe this to children I could start by telling them this is an atom and inside is the nucleus which must be balanced. Because the Periodic Table tells us there are 13 protons, we also know there are 13 neutrons- which make the nucelus balanced. I could tell them that protons always go inside the nucelus and electrons go on the outside rings which start with 2 and then go to 8 and so on. I could describe why this is so and explain to them further what happens if you don't have enough to fill the ring, etc.
I think this visual would help children understand atoms, but to make it more exciting I could use candy or money; something they could touch so they could create their own drawing to get a better understanding.