Here’s an easy and inexpensive way to get kids excited about science. All you need is a few pencils or cooking skewers, water and some plastic bags. This experiment is perfect for early childhood learners, preschoolers or even older children with a little adult supervision. Sharp pencils and skewers can also poke holes in your skin.
This is a good experiment to do outside, over a sink or tub to catch the drips. Fill the plastic zipper-lock bag with water more than half full. Don’t use sandwich bags or you will get wet. Seal the bag and then take your pencils or skewers and carefully poke them through the bag and through the water, out to the other side.
Are you getting soaked? You shouldn’t be. There may be a few leaks and drips, but the bag should seal itself around the pencil and
…
Have you ever felt like you were walking on eggshells? In this last eggs-periment before the Easter holiday this weekend, you will be. Before you hard boil those eggs, place them on the floor and walk on them. Beware, you will probably break a few of them while practicing this demonstration, so have a few extra on hand and make sure you completely clean up the mess to avoid Salmonella poisoning.
Eggshells have the reputation of being very fragile and easily broken, hence the saying about walking on eggshells. So actually walking on them sounds out of the question. But what if eggshells are really much stronger than we think?
The thin, outer coating of of an egg is strong enough to withstand the weight of your body.
Materials
A few dozen eggs that are in egg cartons (Select large-sized eggs)
Large plastic trash bag
Bucket of soap and water (and some disinfectant)
Barefoot friends
Experiment
If you just want to attempt the feat of standing on eggs, you’ll only need two cartons of eggs (two dozen eggs). If, however, you’re feeling up
Do you love crystals? Are you looking for a creative way to color Easter eggs? How about a little kitchen science to kick off the spring weekend? This activity covers all three.
A crystal geode takes thousands of years to grow a crystal inside. That’s a lot of waiting, not to mention you have to find the geode and then crack it open. I’m not sure anyone has a spare thousand years on their hands. If so, I want to meet them.
If you are not that patient or want to work that hard for your crystals, an Egg Geode is eggs-actly the right geode for you. They require some patience and time, but not anywhere near what a real geode takes.
Materials
Egg
Paintbrush
Glue
Food coloring
Alum powder (look in the spice section of your local grocers)
For the next two weeks, we are celebrating the incredible edible scientific egg with experiments that you can do using an egg. Or several.
We start with making Naked Eggs.
Did you know you can dissolve an eggshell and make a rubber egg that bounces? All you need is a little kitchen science know-how and some patience and you can do it.
Materials
Raw egg
Graduated cylinder or tall glass
Vinegar
Patience
Experiment
Place the egg in a graduated cylinder or tall glass and cover the egg with vinegar.
Look closely at the egg. Do you see any bubbles forming on the shell? Leave the egg in the vinegar for a full 24 hours.
Change the vinegar on the second day. Carefully pour the old vinegar down the drain and cover the egg with fresh vinegar. Place the glass with the vinegar and egg in a safe place for a week – that’s right, 7 days! Don’t disturb the egg but pay close attention to the bubbles forming on the surface of the shell (or what’s left of it).
For this experiment, we traded fire extinguishers, exploding toothpaste and liquid nitrogen for balloons and cooking skewers…not an explosive experiment at all. Then why was Becky Ditchfield so nervous?
It’s so simple. Blow up a balloon and tie off the bottom. Then take a cooking skewer and stick it through the balloon. Impossible? Not if you have a little patience and know a little science. Becky definitely got the hang of it until she was asked to try sticking the skewer through a large balloon.
