S.T.E.M. Craft | Dinosaur Eggs

Get Moving With Thibodaux Regional Medical Center | Let’s Get Physical!
May 1, 2019
Synergy Cents With Penny D. Pelican | Penny Makes A Budget
May 1, 2019
Get Moving With Thibodaux Regional Medical Center | Let’s Get Physical!
May 1, 2019
Synergy Cents With Penny D. Pelican | Penny Makes A Budget
May 1, 2019

Hatch a baby dinosaur with a simple chemical reaction! This activity explores the popular baking soda and vinegar reaction.

What You’ll Need:

  • Baking soda (16oz box yields three eggs)
  • Water (1/4 cup or so)
  • Food coloring
  • 10mL oral syringe
  • White vinegar
    (at least 4 cups)
  • Casserole dish or
    some other container
  • Dinosaur toys
  • Parchment paper

Optional:

  • Rubber gloves
  • Safety glasses

What To Do:

STEP 1


Color your baking soda! One box of baking soda makes approximately 3 eggs, depending on the size of your dinosaur. Simply add your drops of color to a bowl of baking soda and carefully mix. (I highly recommend you use gloves. My hands are still blue.)

STEP 2
Once the baking soda is colored carefully add some water. For one box of baking soda use approximately 1/4 cup of water. Add it slowly and mix thoroughly before adding more. It should be crumbly, but still a bit like paste so it will stick together. If you add too much water, simply add more baking soda to absorb.

STEP 3
Take a palmful of the baking soda paste and squish it about to make a ball. Press in a dinosaur. Then add more paste to the top and sides until the entire dinosaur is encased.


STEP 4
Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and set in the freezer. Freezing helps to set the baking soda dinosaur eggs. They freeze very quickly and are ready within an hour, or leave them in overnight.

STEP 5
When you are ready to hatch your eggs, set the baking soda dinosaur eggs in a large dish like a casserole dish. Pour your vinegar in a small bowl and give your child the syringe.

STEP 6
Squirt your baking soda dinosaur eggs to start them hatching! It takes A LOT of vinegar squirts, but once a dinosaur part starts to show, it gets exciting! (Don’t get impatient and just pour the vinegar over the eggs. The reaction just causes the bubbles to overflow!)


Tips:

 You may wish to have the kids wear safety glasses depending on their age and competence with the syringe. Vinegar in the eyes is not fun.

 This can be a messy activity! Prepare the area appropriately.


 You may need to empty the casserole dish periodically as it fills with vinegar and baking soda.

 Have fun with colors! Make multiple batches of different colors. For some extra fun, hide one color in the middle with a different color on the outside. Another trick is to add sparkles or glitter to the middle so they are released during the experiment as your dinosaur is coming out.