Dinosaur Egg – Hatch Your own T-Rex

When placed in water, the dinosaur inside the egg will grow. It is made of a material called a polymer, which has an incredible ability to absorb water. Similar polymers are found for example in nappies. The dinosaur will shrink when you remove it from the water.

The dinosaur reaches its maximum size after about one week in water. The purity of the water will affect the size, and it might be a good idea to switch to a larger container as the dinosaur grows.

Use the dinosaur egg to learn about the scientific method

Scientist usually begin their experiments by formulating something called a hypothesis. To do so, you first need a question that you would like to know the answer to. When experimenting with the dinosaur, the question might be:

What happens when the dinosaur is placed in water?

1. Now that you have your question, it is time to formulate your hypothesis, that is, what you think will happen. If you think multiple things will happen, you can formulate several hypotheses. For example: “I think the dinosaur will talk when it is placed in water” and “I think the dinosaur will swim.”
2. Then it is time to plan the experiment. How are you going to find out if the hypothesis is correct or not? Do you have to measure anything? If you think that the dinosaur will grow bigger, you might want to consider measuring and weighing it. Make sure to plan how you are going to gather your results as well. Are you going to take photographs? How often are you going to measure it? Every hour? Every day? Scientists like to present their results in a table. Maybe you want to do this as well?
3. Conduct the experiment according to your plan.
4. Write a report based on your results. What did you learn? Was the hypothesis correct?
5. The most important thing a scientist does is perhaps to share their results with others. Now you can do so too. Finally, you can investigate what happens when you remove the dinosaur from the water. If you want an explanation, search for “natriumpolyakrylat” on Wikipedia. The dinosaur is made of this material.