Pre-School - Grade 4

10 minutes

1. Discover differences and similarities
2. Hypothesize about what might be common to all birds' eggs and what might be unique
3. Appreciation for the diversity of life and the wonder of eggs

1. fresh chicken egg
2. fresh duck egg
3. saucers magnifying glass

1. Without breaking the eggs, compare them; what is the same/different (colour, shape, size, shell texture) ? Duck eggs may be naturally tinted and the shells tend to be smoother and less porous as well as harder.
2. Crack open one egg into each dish (place on the floor in the middle of the children)
3. What is the same? Both have the same parts.
4. What is different? yolk colour and size (colour depends on diet) - the duck egg will probably have a larger, darker yolk; thick & thin white size (partly depends on how fresh the egg is) - duck eggs contain less water so will have thicker whites, and very fresh eggs of both types will have very distinct thick & thin whites