We conducted experiments using eggs to learn about what would happen to our teeth with certain liquids. In the first experiment we submerged eggs in two different drinks - Coca-Cola and Hawaiian Punch. We wrote down our observations for two days. A majority of the kids' hypotheses were correct - the eggshells turned colors!
On the second day we brushed the shells with toothpaste to see what would happen. The kids were so happy to discover that brushing did clean the eggs. However, everyone agreed that they were not as white as before. (I would have shared an "after" picture, but I think I accidentally deleted it.)
We put a third egg in a solution of white vinegar. After 24 hours we discovered that the vinegar had "melted" (the exact word used by one of the 1st graders) off the eggshell. In the top photo you can see that I was able to stick a fork through the egg. The bottom shows the "melted" eggshell material floating around in the vinegar. I had laughed when one of the kids commented, "It's a good thing I don't like vinegar! I don't want my tooth enamel to melt off!"
We did a number of tooth related activites. We painted our baby teeth into pictures of mouths. We also created a bar graph showing how many teeth each student in the class has lost. Afterwards we analyzed the data. To close out our unit, we invited a dentist to talk to us about her job and about how can keep our teeth healthy. This very special dentist also happens to be a classroom mom. Thanks so much Dr. L for visiting with us and for the goodies. We appreciate it!
