How to Explode Leftover Easter Eggs - Science Activities

How To Explode the Easter Bounty 


Ahhhh.... Nothing like Spring Break! The kiddies are home, no schools to run to, but plenty to do, and redo, and do over again. Relieve some holiday stress and keep your kids busy with these unorthodox Easter egg experiments.

Death By Vacuum 

Get some oohs, awes, and much needed stress relief with this experiment demonstrating air pressure and vacuums. 

You'll need some peeled hardboiled eggs, birthday candles, fire, and a glass bottle whose top is just the right width to barely hold the egg up top. And if you are an adult, you may choose an additional glass bottle and a corkscrew. 

1. Put two birthday candles side-by-side in the narrow end of a peeled, hard-boiled egg.  

2. Light the candles and sing "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" or other equally Eastery tune.

3. Hold the bottle upside down and carefully place it over the burning candles and egg.

4. Quickly flip the bottle, while holding onto the egg, so the bottle sits right side.

5. Watch as the egg is sucked in and mutilated under the intense pressure of heated molecules. 

6. Whoa - yes, you'll want to do it again and again. 

*To learn more about why this occurs, visit this website: Egg Drop and Air Pressure 

Choke Hold

Take the kids outside for this one! Place a raw egg centered in the palm of your hand. Place even pressure using your fingers and palm around the egg and see if you can break it. It is not as easy as it sounds! Eggs are made to resist even pressure, that is why a hen can lay on them, but when a little chick tries to hatch, its beak can pierce through the egg. 

For the Calmer Crowd

Mystery Egg 

Give your kids a raw egg and a hard boiled egg, but don't tell them which is which! Spin the eggs on their sides and see what happens. Float the eggs in salt water and see which one floats and which one sinks. This activity is quick and easy for all ages, and teaches observation and analytic skills.

Leftover Leftovers

But I still have more darn eggs!  What should I do? Now I don't think using your children for egg target practice is legal, but it sounds like fun! Or consider channeling your inner child and get back at that annoying rude neighbor - just don't forget to change - pastels don't conceal very well in the dark.