In Keystage 1 we have been learning about the human body and how to keep our bodies healthy. The latest section of our project is exploring the teeth, their purpose and how to keep them healthy. We all knew that we should brush our teeth twice a day and visit the dentist regularly but we needed to further develop our understanding of which foods damage our teeth and how to avoid cavities.
To do this we submerged eggs into jars in the filled them with a range of liquids including water, lemon juice, vinegar, coffee and coke. We also prepared two additional jars where we coated the eggs in toothpaste before submerging them in coke and coffee. We then made predictions of how the liquids would affect the eggs.
Three days later we opened the jars and drained the liquids. We were amazed by our findings. The lemon juice had eroded the shell and sugars had clumped together at the top of the eggs, the coffee and coke stained the eggs quite significantly but the biggest surprise was the vinegar, It had weakened the shell so much that it was soft and 'squishy'. A simple touch broke one of the eggs that had been submerged in vinegar. The water had no impact on the eggs. Remarkably, we discovered that the eggs that had been covered in toothpaste were less stained that those which had not and a simple brush with toothpaste removed many of the stains.
The experiment helped us to understand that water is the healthiest option and highlighted the importance of brushing our teeth.
Menu
