Eggs

We've been experimenting with natural dyes for eggs over the years. This year we've used onion skins (proven favourite!), blueberries, coffee and carrot peels. I will be doing some cranberry or beet eggs as well to round it out colour-wise.

You can find instructions on my spring crafts page here. There are also instructions for making tie-dyed and marbelized eggs, and making your own food colouring-based dyes.

If you are new to my website, you may not have found the strange science page, which also features some egg experiments, including dissolving eggshells in vinegar (with pictures of ours that we did with a raw egg, leaving only the membrane holding it together), and some info about Herve This and his experiments on unboiling an egg.

Did you know that the shape of an eggshell makes it incredibly strong? An egg can support an impressive amount of weight. Try putting four eggs in egg holders, then gently and slowly pile on some heavy books one at a time. You may wish to put some beneath the books to protect them, and also on your work surface. How much weight can your eggs take before they are crushed (or you decide to stop)?

You can also try holding an egg drop. Provide various materials, and have students make a container that will hold and (hopefully) protect a raw egg when it is dropped from a height. Challenge students to make ordinary materials, such as newspapers, into something that will absorb shock by using them in creative ways. Once the containers are finished, try them out. Did the egg break? Which design aspects worked, and which did not? To expand the activity, take a look at how automobile manufacturers increase crash safety in their car designs.
Or try following one of the several live streaming sites which feature birds nesting and hatching new eggs.