Don't squeeze the egg!

For this school year, JP wants to do both chemistry and geology for science.  We have several resources for both, but nothing that seemed ideal.  And, because we've started our school year slowly, I decided to start JP out with several small unit studies.  The first is on acids and bases, and also included diffusion and osmosis.  First, we started with some readings and question-and-answer review.  Then, we began a seven day experiment to learn more about these topics.

The seven day experiment involved observing an egg in vinegar over the course of a week.  Above is JP with his egg.  At the time that this picture was taken, our egg had been in a sealed jar with plain white vinegar for four days.  Day four called for removing the egg and measuring it, among other things.

Another shot of the egg...  JP was fascinated with the rubbery texture, and by the fact that the egg had gotten larger, and that the shell had disintegrated. 

Then, the boy got the bright idea to draw a face on the egg...  I suggested that he use a soft/felt tip marker since he wouldn't want to puncture the surface membrane.  He agreed, and was being quite careful.  I went back to washing dishes, and the next thing I knew, JP was saying, "Aw, crap!"  I looked over to find him with a lap full of raw egg.  The final results, once he stood up:

 

We have yet to decide if we will start the experiment over since we technically had three days left...in the meantime, remember not to squeeze your eggs! The egg didn't burst from JP's pen puncturing the surface.  It burst because he made the mistake of squeezing it while drawing the face on it!