Teaching proper tooth care is important to your child’s health. Normally small children enjoy brushing their teeth as long as they have character toothbrushes and yummy tasting toothpaste. However, they need to learn how long to brush to clean their teeth effectively and why it is important. The best way to teach a preschooler is with a hands on activity. They always remember something they had the opportunity to touch and see. The following activity serves both as a lesson on health and science. PRESCHOOL TOOTH BRUSHING EXPERIMENT After eating, a sticky coating called plaque forms on our teeth. We must brush off the plaque or it can make teeth change from a white color into yellow or brown. Plaque can also lead to cavities in the teeth. This experiment uses a hard-boiled egg as a pretend tooth. Reluctant brushers will take notice of this amazing experiment!
What You Need:
- One hard-boiled egg with white shell
- A glass
- A can of cola
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
What You Do:
- Carefully place the hard-boiled egg in the empty glass.
- Pour the can of dark brown soda into the glass, completely submerging the egg in liquid.
- Leave overnight. Ask your child to guess what might happen to the white egg.
- The next day, remove the egg from the liquid. Ask your child to describe what happened to the egg. How did it look before it went into the glass? What does it look like now?
- Provide your child with a toothpaste and a toothbrush to remove the stains from the egg’s surface. Discuss what might happen if teeth were not brushed like the egg!