Apr 10

How to Make a Naked Egg: Fun with Science!

Activities, Learning No Comments »

Have you ever seen a naked egg? Have your kids ever seen a naked egg? Did you even know it was possible to create your very own naked egg, or an egg without a shell, at home with your kids? It is a fun activity that will not only blow their mind but teach them something new! We scouted out a really cool website that does all sorts of cool experiments like the naked egg. The Imagination Station is a website that not only teaches kids incredibly cool lessons it also lets them try incredibly cool experiments in order to teach them in a fun way.

So why can we turn a regular egg with a completely perfect shell into a naked egg? Well egg shells are made up of calcium carbonate which can be dissolved by an acidic compound. So once an acidic compound is introduced to the shell it begins to dissolve or deteriorate.

Here’s What You Need:

Vinegar

A couple of glasses or cups

Raw eggs

What You Will Do:

It is actually very easy to make a naked egg with the right ingredients. Simply place the egg in one of the cups and fill the cup with vinegar. Make sure that the egg is completely covered by the vinegar. Now it is a waiting process. It will take anywhere from 12-24 hours for the egg shell to completely dissolve. So you and your little ones can check back frequently. After one full day of soaking carefully remove the egg.

Fun Things to do with Your Egg:

Now that your egg is naked it can more completely soak up liquids and change shape. Try soaking your egg in water and watch as it gets really big, then soak it in corn syrup and watch it shrivel. Try adding food coloring to the water and watch as your egg changes color. All of these cool experiments have a reasonable and scientific explanation. So head over to The Imagination Station to learn more!

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Apr 04

Egg Geodes!

Activities, Learning No Comments »

Since Easter us just around the corner we thought we would add one more awesome egg craft to your repertoire. Not only is this craft fun for Easter it is also a pretty cool science experiment. This egg craft will definitely be cool with those older boys, and those boys that think they are too cool for kiddie stuff.

You can find this incredible craft and a how-to video on how to create it if you need help at Martha Stewart’s website. Thanks to TV crafter Jim “Figgy” Noonan for creating this awesome craft, boys can have fun and learn a little science all at the same time this Easter.

Geodes are essentially rock or crystal structures that occur in sedimentary and certain volcanic rocks. They are spherical masses on mineral deposits that form within the rock formations. They appear as crystal like structures, or quartz deposits and can be brightly colored depending on their mineral content such as calcite, dolomite, and amethyst.

This egg craft is done with eggs and glue and is not actually rocks, but the way in which the egg geodes form is very similar to the formation of a true geode. So now you and your sons can learn how mineral deposits form to create a beautiful and mesmerizing geode.

Tools and Materials

Blown-out eggshell (Get the How-To)
Alum powder
White glue
Small paintbrush
Plastic or glass container
Egg dye
Hot water
Craft stick or spoon
Latex gloves
Drying rack or newspaper

Crystal Egg Geode How-To

1. Start by blowing out a large white chicken egg (Get the How-To) and splitting it in half, lengthwise. The egg can be cracked by striking it against a surface or cut with a small pair of scissors. Make sure the inside of the eggshell is clean and dry.

2. With a small paintbrush, apply white glue to the inside and cracked edges of each half of the eggshell and sprinkle with alum powder until completely coated. Set eggshell halves aside to dry overnight.

3. The next day, prepare your growing solution in a glass or plastic container by using a craft stick or spoon to mix 2 cups of very hot water (almost boiling) with an entire packet of powdered egg dye. Be sure to wear latex gloves to protect your hands from the dye. (Tip: Liquid food coloring can also be used to dye the geode — 30 to 40 drops will adequately saturate the solution.)

4. Add 3/4 cup of alum powder to the hot dye bath and stir until completely dissolved. If there are remaining crystals in the bottom of the container, place the solution in the microwave for a few minutes to dissolve them. This will prevent alum from being drawn away from the geode.

5. Once the alum is completely dissolved, let the solution cool slightly (for about 30 minutes) and then submerge one of the dried, alum-coated eggshells in the growing solution, allowing it to rest on the bottom of the container with the inside of the shell facing up.

6. Set the container aside in a safe place overnight to allow the crystals to grow undisturbed. (Tip: The longer the eggshell is in the solution, the larger the crystals in the geode will be. Twelve to 15 hours will usually result in a perfect geode.)

7. The next day, remove the geode from the growing solution very carefully (as wet crystals are quite fragile), being sure to wear latex gloves to prevent the dye from staining your hands. (Tip: If you are not satisfied with the size of your geode crystals, return the geode to the growing solution and wait a day or two. As water evaporates from the solution, more alum will be deposited in your geode, increasing the size of the crystals.)

8. Place your geode on a drying rack or newspaper and allow to dry completely before handling.

9. To grow a second geode in the other half of the eggshell, simply re-dissolve the crystals remaining at the bottom of the growing solution in the microwave and follow the instructions above starting at step 5.

 

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Mar 18

10 Rules of Mothers with Sons: Insight for Mom

Activities, Health, Learning 1 Comment »

We all know how hard it can be to raise a good young man. We are all plagued with daily doubts about whether we are helping our boys become great young men and ensuring they will become great men of the world. But how do we truly know that we are helping our little men become great men? What do we really teach them on a daily basis? How much of what we do with them at this young of an age actually makes a difference in their future behavior. Well the answer is a lot. We all know firsthand through our experiences with grown men that much of their lives were shaped as children. It is the way with all of us. The relationships and influences we had as children shape our lives as adults. We rationalize that we know what is best for our kids, we read books, talk with family, friends, and spiritual advisors, and consult experts, all in the hopes of helping our children become better people. So today let’s do that a little bit more. We are not the experts; there may not even be any experts. But we do have ideas; we do have opinions, and today let’s try sharing them.

We recently found a blog with some great ideas on 25 rules of mothers with sons StuderTeam has some incredible and insightful ideas. Today we will share a few with you, and we hope that will prompt you to share a few with us as well. We have power in numbers. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Perhaps they are right. Perhaps the only way to ensure your son grows into a great man is to work with the people in your life, near and far, and band together to help your little man in his journey. Let’s take that first step with a few ideas.

1. Teach him to experience his feelings. Give him words to put to them, let him cry and let him understand it is important to experience his emotions and feelings. Getting them out is the only way to cope with them.

2. Be his cheerleader. Support him in his goals, dreams, and even in his failures. If he loses the big game, be there to help him understand the importance of losing. Losing is the only way we learn from our mistakes and our successes.

3. Teach him to take care of himself. Give him the tools to clean up after himself, do the laundry, cook, and love. These are all things he will need to know to exist in the world and be a successful man, husband, and father one day.

4. Read with him often and early. Readers are created at a young age and reading is vital in the world. No matter what he does in this world even if he is an auto mechanic or a cop he will need to be a strong reader.

5. Teach him to dance, and help him to enjoy it. Dancing is about rhythm and communication. It is a universal language; it brings out a world of fun and freedom. Teach him to be free.

6. Make sure he has strong male role models of every type, the brain, the jock, the explorer, the optimist. Give him strong examples of women as well. Women are just as strong and powerful as men. Give him examples of women in the world that have done amazing and courageous things. Surround him with strong examples of men and women outside of the celebrity spotlight.

7. Give him something to believe in. Let him understand that believing in something means accepting it with flaws and all. Show him how to pioneer for a cause, accept a person with faults and perfection. Make him understand that everyone and everything has some common ground and that in order to truly understand someone is to find that common ground, give it a chance to flourish, and believe that good things can come from it.

8. Allow him to ask questions, help him to find answers. Do not brush of his incessant “why?” questioning the world is how we learn from it. Learn with him.

9. Give him the opportunity to help others. Show him that by helping others we help ourselves. Get him to volunteer, volunteer with him and meet people from different worlds, cultures, and backgrounds.

10. Love him. No matter who is he, why he is that why, what he has done. He is your son, your gift from the world. Stand by him even when he is wrong. This does not mean enable him. Do not try to rescue him from his own mistakes. Help him to understand what he has done wrong and let him understand that no matter what he has done you still love him and will always be there for him. This is the best you can ever do for him. Love is unconditional.

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