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The Rubber Egg!

September 5, 2013 by Sarah 21 Comments

Rubber Egg 1

This science experiment for kids is a crowd pleaser.  Making a hard boiled egg bounce is very impressive.  Even very small children know that eggs crack when broken – well imagine their surprise when, through this science experiment, you turn a hard boiled egg into a bouncy ball!  This was day 5 of our Science Experiments for Kids.  Check here for Day 1 (leaves), Day 2 (states of matter), Day 3 (insects), and Day 4 (ice)

Even better – this science experiment is oh so simple.  The only thing is that it takes 5 days.  So you better get started now!

Materials:

Hard boiled egg

Vinegar

Small Jar with a lid

This science experiment for kids is great – they can do it all!  Let your hard boiled egg come to room temperature.  Place it in the jar and pour the vinegar until the egg is submerged. 

rubber egg 2

Have your wee one watch – what can be seen?  Little bubbles are likely surrounding the egg.  This is the acid in the vinegar attacking the calcium in the egg shell.

Put the lid on your jar and wait 5 days.

Wait, wait, wait

After the long awaited 5 days, your egg-a-licious science experiment can continue.  Gently rinse the egg with warm water to wash away the shell.  Notice how soft it is.

rubber egg 3

Finally, let your little one bounce the egg.  Isn’t it impressive?!  See how high it can go!

 rubber egg 4

The science behind this science experiment for kids:

The acid in the vinegar eats away at the calcium in the egg shell, creating a rubbery egg.

This science experiment is a great way to show kids the importance of caring for their teeth and brushing regularly! 

The science behind this experiment is likely too complex for toddlers and preschoolers, but I still think it is a great science experiment for kids.  It is very important that kids see and learn neat and interesting things and we help them maintain their natural curiosity and wonder for the world around them.  Sometimes a little magic and mystery is just what is needed!

Please consider liking us on FACEBOOK so we can share more creative learning activities with you and your little ones!  Thank you!

 

 

 

Filed Under: All Ages, Easter, Explore, Grade School, Other Learning Fun, Science, Science

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Comments

  1. Erin O'Brien says

    November 1, 2013 at 8:55 pm

    How long can keep the bouncy ball/egg? Does it go bad?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      November 1, 2013 at 9:09 pm

      What a great question Erin … And I am afraid I don’t know! Ours lasted one week before it finally split. I assume it would last a long time – as it has been preserved in the vinegar. I think it would likely split before going bad … It does bounce and works well, but certainly doesn’t hold up like a real ball.

      Reply
  2. Samantha says

    December 20, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    Well, if I would have paid attention first I would have seen and read and had to wait 5 days to get a “splat” effect. I didn’t read the “hard boiled” egg part, I read egg…. SO, my son and I put an egg in a jar for 5 days with vinegar…… The egg became rubbery on the outside of the egg and part of the inside and the vinegar even at the shell off…. BUT not it all so we got a splat effect… NOW to try it with a hard boiled egg.. Wish us luck. I will post how that turns out with the correct instructions. 🙂

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 31, 2014 at 1:10 pm

      Oh no Samantha! But a cool science experiment all the same 😉 Hopefully you have success with your hard boiled egg – please let me know!

      Reply
  3. Samantha says

    December 31, 2014 at 5:21 pm

    I tried it the right way…. It didn’t work. It splatted on the floor and wouldn’t bounce. What did I do wrong?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      January 7, 2015 at 7:49 am

      Oh shucks Samantha!! Sorry to hear. Did you hard boil the egg? If so, perhaps try to leave it in the vinegar even longer to ensure the chemical change has time to occur.

      Reply
  4. Kyah says

    February 27, 2016 at 6:53 pm

    When it eventually goes “splat” does it make a huge mess like a regular egg?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 27, 2016 at 9:17 pm

      Hi Kyah – important question! No, it makes a mess for sure, but sort of the same mess you would expect from throwing a hard boiled egg on the ground.

      Reply
  5. Marlee says

    April 19, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    Mine worked really good such a good idea. I also seen that you can add some food coloring and it changes that color that you added

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 19, 2016 at 8:12 pm

      Neat idea about adding the food colouring Marlee – we will have to give this a try! Glad yours worked well – thank you for taking the time to comment!

      Reply
      • Annie says

        April 2, 2018 at 2:09 pm

        I’m about to try this with some of our Easter eggs since we colored 3 dozen and there are only three in my family!! 🙂 Should come out a colored bouncy ball I’m hoping right? I also want to try with a yellow highlighter to make a glowing ball. I’m not sure if this particular experiment shows kids osmosis. I guess so. It’s easier to think about membranes and liquid transferring when there is more water to exchange.

        Reply
        • Sarah says

          April 6, 2018 at 11:18 am

          This sounds so neat. Please let me know how it turns out!

          Reply
  6. Linda Shomaker says

    May 16, 2016 at 10:59 pm

    We tried this for three days it did not work we opened the containers twice a day and we stored them in a fridge that was not running my question is does it matter where the eggs are keep or if we open the containers?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      May 20, 2016 at 10:39 pm

      Hmmm – I don’t believe either of those things should matter – but I bet leaving it even longer will work.

      Reply
  7. Sahil.Chaudhari says

    July 6, 2016 at 6:29 am

    It’s wonderful.Nice You pls share some more experiments like this.

    Reply
  8. Tamicka says

    January 21, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    Did you leave the eggs at room temp or in the fridge while waiting?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      January 29, 2018 at 10:17 am

      Room temperature – I’m not sure if it matters though?

      Reply
  9. Destiny says

    April 1, 2018 at 2:17 am

    What are the states of matter in this experiment

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 6, 2018 at 11:19 am

      Great question Destiny. I would say that the egg begins as a liquid (at least the interior of the egg) and turns into a solid. Would you agree?

      Reply
  10. Wendy says

    March 28, 2020 at 10:04 pm

    The science behind this experiment is likely to complex for toddlers and preschoolers, but I still think it is a great science experiment for

    The word “to” in that sentence should be spelled: “too.”

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 14, 2020 at 8:50 pm

      Oh great catch on the typo Wendy – thank you! The science is too tricky for little ones, but a great experiment to help keep those curious little minds full of wonder!

      Reply

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