Poultry Science

by the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis

The egg on the left sits in plain water, but add some salt and watch it rise (right)! This demonstrates density and its impact on buoyancy.

photos by Nicole sipe

Science experiments provide an eggcellent opportunity to spark curiosity about the natural world in your children (and curious grownups) while also explaining some of the principles of physics and chemistry. There are many different STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) projects that can be done using eggs; here we present four of our favorites that use materials you likely already have around the house. So grab a carton, or two, of eggs, and let’s see if egg science is all it’s cracked up to be!

Warning: While there are no specific diseases associated with heavy exposure to puns, this article contains high levels of egg and chicken puns. If you don’t like puns (especially egg puns), this article may stress your hen-durance and make you a little cuckoo.

Note: Aside from a few household items, these egg-speriments are easy, fun and safe. While there are no egg-splosions in the following egg-speriments, it’s always better to have an adult do them with little ones.

The Floating Egg