EGG-Citing Experiments!

Our chicks are just 18 days away from hatching!  Today, we learned that the chicks head and heart are beginning to grow.  Then, we learned about the parts of an egg.

First, a 2 days ago we started a fun experiment with an egg and some vinegar! Just drop it in, simple as that!

Today, we observed the egg... We noticed that it was now kind of like jelly & it expanded.  Why was the shell gone?

The acid ate away the shell.  So why didn't the egg explode?  Why did it stay together? It looks yellow, so we think we can see the yolk.. hmmm....

 Because of the membrane!  The vinegar can't dissolve the membrane, so it stayed in the shape of an egg.  It got bigger because some of the vinegar was able to pass through the membrane into the egg.

Then comes the cracking of an egg..

Please excuse the yucky nails, I was painting my house over the weekend &
haven't gotten around to repainting my nails yet!)

See the thin, soft part right above the shell? We determined that was the membrane.  I told them there were actually 2 membranes (inner & outer).  The kiddos were AMAZED!  

Then we looked at the bottom of the egg.  I couldn't get a good picture of this.. but I asked them what they noticed.  Something strange at the bottom that looked like a bubble.  Why would an egg need a spot for air? SO THE CHICKS CAN BREATHE (I only write that in caps because they were seriously excited).. Yep! It's called the air pocket.  

Then we talked about the yolk and the embryo.. They helped me label my pathetic drawing on the smartboard...

They were in disbelief that ALL that could fit into one tiny egg..

And of course, they got to draw their own!! (I forgot to take pictures) :(

LAST- my question... do you think the egg is solid or liquid inside?  A few voted solid but most thought liquid.  "POP IT MS. G, POP IT!"... It exploded a little more than I expected, luckily it didn't get on any kids! :)

What kind of fun experiments do you when you are learning about life cycles?