My high-schooler has been observing the process of osmosis this week. What is osmosis anyways? According to the Biology Dictionary, "Osmosis is when a substance crosses a semipermeable membrane in order to balance the concentrations of another substance."



We did a fun experiment to learn about osmosis. This experiment takes three days to complete. Here is what you will need.

1 coffee mug
1 uncooked egg
1 3/4 cup measuring cup
1 tape measure
3/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup Karo Syrup
3/4 cup distilled water

Start by measuring the widest part of the egg. Then pour 3/4 cup vinegar in the coffee cup and place the egg in the mug. Allow it to sit for 24 hours. (Hint: the shell should start dissolving).

After 24 hours remove the egg from the mug and carefully rinse it off. The egg shell should have dissolved. Measure the egg again around the widest part. (Hint: your egg should measure a little larger). Wash out the mug and add 3/4 cup Karo syrup. Place the egg into the Karo syrup and let it sit for another 24 hours.

Remove the egg from the Karo syrup. (Hint: the egg should look a little dimpled). Rinse the egg and measure it around the widest part. It should have gotten smaller. Clean the mug and add the 3/4 cup distilled water and allow it to sit for another 24 hours.

Then remove the egg and measure it. (Hint: It should measure larger). What you have just experienced is osmosis. This would make a fun science fair project, just create a hypothesis, take some photos, and make some graphs. I have included a free downloadable PDF for you to record your results. You will find it here.

I hope you get a chance to try out this fun experiment and connect with your teen.

Happy experimenting!
Bridget

P.S. If you have boys like me, they will love throwing the egg after the experiment and watching it splat!

Science is so fun. What could be more enjoyable than watching your child learn hands on with a fun science project. This week my 3rd grader has been learning about floating. Why do some things float and others sink? What makes pool rafts and large ships float? Why do balloons float in the air?


We learned that density determines whether something floats or sinks. If the object is more dense than water or air it will not float. What is upthrust? Upthrust is created because water pushes up on things more than it pushes down. So, something that is more dense than water cannot create enough upthrust and it sinks. I know those ships are really heavy, but they contain air inside them making them less dense than water, therefore they float. As for those balloons floating in the air, the gas in the balloon is less dense that the air therefore, it floats.


This is really a cool topic for a science fair project. Have your child determine a hypothesis, and then test that hypothesis. A hypothesis is a guess. Then have them document with photos and graphs what they found out. It would be really fun to have a display of a few things to show the experiment hands on.

I am including a free PDF file  that I created for my son to do a simple experiment on what floats. Feel free to print out this PDF and work through it with your child.



I hope you enjoy spending time with your child. These little moments create lasting memories? Do you remember your science fair or geography fair projects as I child? I know I do, and I want to create lasting memories for my boys!

Enjoy,
Bridget