Photography 101: We Peeled a Raw Egg

Peeling a Raw Egg: Before & After

If you read my post last week, you know Jack has a tall list of fun activities he’d like to accomplish during his summer break. Science experiments and “using mommy’s camera” were on that list.  My wonderful sister, the artist AND scientist, gave him The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book for his birthday. After a quick scan, Jack insisted we start by peeling a raw egg. Huh? 

Turns out it’s easier than you’d think. The procedure was simple:

1. Place a raw egg in a small glass
2. Pour enough vinegar in the glass to cover the egg
3. Wait a few days

That’s just what we did. Within moments of adding the vinegar we saw the chemical reaction. The bubbling was the vinegar eating away the calcium carbonate in the eggshell. Once a day we scooped biotic scunge from the top of the glass. After three days the shell was gone, leaving the egg inside its cozy membrane. The final product felt like a perfect Jell-o egg; it was squishy, yet surprisingly sturdy. 

In addition to being a cool experiment, it made a terrific photo-op. I taught Jack how to set up the tripod and let him choose the background color (a fabulous choice, if I don’t say so myself). He took a gazillion shots. I wish I had a photo of him in his plaid, little man jammies, balanced precariously on a stool to see through the camera’s viewfinder. He was truly committed to the process. In fact, the upper right photo in the collage above was taken by Jack! Our before and after photo shoots were successful because, thanks to Jack, I took the time to slow down, set up the tripod, program the camera and add the vibrant background. 

As for our next big experiment, I’m lobbying for boiling ice but I’m betting it will be a mini-volcano. I’ll keep you posted.