Surveys and Science

For some reason, Monty LOVES to do surveys online. He can spend hours answering surveys from everything to t.v. shows to laundry soap to what and when you drink anything all day long for a week. I just don't get it. I don't have the patience. I have to be in a REALLY good mood when I get the "This is not a sales call mam and will only take 2 minutes of your time..." call or I am hanging up. But my husband loves to do them(actually he doesn't care for the phone surveys as much but he will still do them.) He has several companies that he regularly takes surveys for. Our email is loaded daily with new surveys for him to fill out. I have learned not to complain because they have actually paid off many times. We have gotten samples to test and fill out surveys on. We have gotten 2 big bottles of Tide laundry soap, instant mashed potatoes, crackers, chicken broth, bottles of flavored water, shampoo, and more. Some surveys pay cash and we often receive checks in the mail for $3, $5, $7 or $10. He has done a few surveys that require the company to send him a palm pilot to record info on daily and when they receive it back he get $60-$100. The companies that he uses on a regular basis give him points that he can redeem for merchandise. We used all of his points last year for kids movies or books for Christmas presents for the kids and are doing so again this year. So that brings us to science. When going through the books available, we found The Everything Kids Science Experiments Book. It came in the mail this week and the kids were SOOO excited. There are experiments that pertain to biology, chemistry, physics, the earth and the human body. The have lots of little fun science facts and jokes throughout and even some puzzles and games. Each experiment has a question, material list, procedure, and then an explanation of what is happening. I have just browsed through it, but it seems like most of the experiments are things we will be able to do with things we have around the house. Kenyon was eager to jump right in and just opened the book and started reading...

Question: How can you peel a raw egg?

LET'S DO IT!

So we have an egg sitting in a cup of vinegar and are watching the acid eat away at the shell until we have a "see through" egg held together only by the membrane that holds the egg inside the shell. Our egg is very soft right now (we started it yesterday) so another day will probably do it. The kids are having a blast watching the slow chemical reaction and check on the egg periodically during the day.

Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE HOMESCHOOLING MY KIDS!?!?!

update:our egg was almost see-through. the book said we may have to gently rub the remaining white off for it to be completly transparent. Well, I did that and had about 1/2 a clear egg and then I got a little too eager and rubber too hard and it busted! The kids still got to see it and hold the shelless, soft membrane that was left.