Do you have a young scientist at home? Are you looking for the best science project for the school science fair? Look no further this bouncing, rubber egg science project is perfect for kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade students.
Have you ever felt an egg? If so then you know that the shell is hard. Have you ever thought of bouncing an egg? Probably not, because we know egg shells are very fragile. It only takes a light tap to break them. What if I told you that in this experiment you will be able to bounce an egg? You may think it’s not possible but with this rubber egg science project it is!
In this science experiment you will turn a egg into a rubber egg and make it bounce by leaving it in vinegar. This science experiment idea is perfect for kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade students.
You need three days to complete this experiment
Materials:
- 1 raw egg
- 1 small bottle of white vinegar
- 1 clear jar with top (mason jars work great)
- Paper, pen and camera (to record your results)
Scientific Method
In this experiment we are going to follow the scientific method.
- Ask a question
- formulate a hypothesis
- Conduct the experiment
- Gather Data
- Find the conclusion
Question
What happens if you leave a raw egg in vinegar?
let’s find out!
Experiment
Step 1:
Put the raw egg in the clear jar. We used a mason jar that we purchased from Walmart. You can use any old jar that has a lid such as a cleaned out pickle jar or mayo jar.
Step 2:
Pour white vinegar into the jar. You need enough vinegar so that your entire egg in covered. Put the lid on the jar
Step 3:
Watch the egg for 3 days and document the results
Gather Data
Watch your egg everyday and document what you see. Did the egg change on the first day? Did you start to notice tiny bubbles in the jar? Is your egg starting to look different?
We took pictures of the egg each day so that we could keep track of the changes. We gently touched the egg each night and wrote down how the egg felt.
Conclusion
After three full days we poured the vinegar out into the sink and held the egg. The egg should feel rubbery. My daughter held the egg about an inch off the table and let it go. The egg bounced.
We held the egg up about 2 inches off the table and let it go. It bounced again.
We repeated this until the egg broke.
In conclusion the egg bounced and felt like rubber
Why?
Eggs contain calcium carbonate, this is why they are hard. Vinegar is an acid. When the calcium carbonate (egg) combines with the acid (vinegar) a chemical reaction occurs. What happens is that carbon dioxide is released causing the bubbles in the jar. When all the carbon is released the egg it becomes soft and rubbery.
