Elements in a family or group have similar chemical activities because they have the same number of electrons in the outer energy orbital.  The families within the periodic table are introduced with special attention, in term of activities and experiments, to the halogens and oxygen families. The laboratory units provided in these kits  includes a vocabulary/information sheet, two activity sheets, two laboratory exercises, a crossword puzzle, a test, and an answer key.  The vocabulary/information sheet included in this kit focuses on the periodic families, separations, and reactions. The activity sheets center on identifying characteristics of elements within the halogen, oxygen and nitrogen families.