STEM at Home

Library Zest Team
Mar 29, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Oct 27, 2020

Staying at home right now is important; it protects our families, our communities, and especially the most vulnerable among us. We've taken care to choose experiments that use simple, everyday materials--ideally things that may already be on hand. We'll show you how to make a rubber egg, a paperclip helicopter, and (the marvelous) Möbius strip.

"Science shows us truth and beauty and fills each day with a fresh wonder of the exquisite order which governs our world."

– Polykarp Kusch

(winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics)

Rubber Egg

For this experiment you will need only three things (four, if you include 'time'):

1. A raw egg

2. A jar (or a glass) just large enough to hold the egg

3. Vinegar

Step 1:

Place the egg carefully inside the jar. Be sure not to crack it; a good strategy is to tip the jar on its side and carefully place the egg at the bottom before turning the jar right-side up.

Step 2:

Pour the vinegar over the egg. It should be enough to cover the egg entirely.

What do you see happening?

If you see little bubbles starting to fizz and cover the surface of the egg, you are observing the acetic acid in the vinegar attacking the calcium carbonate of the eggshell (source: thoughtco).

Step 3:

Wait three days. During this time, you will likely spot a layer of fizz or foam forming on the surface of the vinegar.

After the three days are up, it's time for the reveal!

The shell has turned from hard to soft. Gently bounce your egg on a counter or tabletop.

Want to prove that it's still an ordinary raw egg? Try cutting it open inside of a bowl.

Paperclip Helicopter

You will need:

1. A piece of paper

2. A pair of scissors

3. Some tape (scotch, masking, or whatever you have on hand): optional

4. A paperclip

Click here for a printable template. Don't have a printer at home? That's alright! You can draw your own using a pencil and a ruler.

Step 1:

Print the temple or draw your own using a ruler (mine is 6 cm x 19.3 cm on the outside).

Step 2:

Cut along the solid lines. Be careful not to cut along the dotted lines!

Step 3:

Fold in at the bottom and tape, if desired.

Step 4:

Fold the 'helicopter blades' down in opposite directions.

Step 5:

Add a paperclip, tiny crocodile clip, or other creative weight to the bottom.

Step 6:

Drop from a high place and watch what happens! Even your tiptoes will do.

source: Polymer Science Learning Center

Möbius strip

This is one of those STEM projects that feels like part magic (maybe the 'm' stands for more than just mathematics!) and it's simple to do.

You will need:

1. Some strips of paper (mine were cut to approximately 8.5" x 1.5" strips)

2. Tape

3. Scissors

4. A pencil

5. A ruler

It can be helpful to draw a line straight up the centre of your paper strip, but this is optional.

Step 1:

Give your strip of paper one twist. Tape it together so it forms a closed loop with a twist.

Step 2:

Start cutting right down the centre of the paper. Don't come in from the edge--the idea is to split it perfectly down the middle.

What happened?

This is only the first variation. Try a double twist (twist it twice before you tape the loop closed) and try cutting it into thirds rather than in half (for this one I really recommend drawing the lines before you tape it closed). The fun part is that you will get different (sometimes mind-boggling) results with every new iteration of the experiment!

My personal favourite is cutting it into thirds, because then you get this: