Third grade scientists on the Swain Campus are sinking their teeth into Dental Health Month and learning about the importance of dental hygiene.

Students learned that dental hygiene is very important to overall health. To demonstrate the impact different drinks have on teeth, the third-graders completed an "eggcellent" experiment!  Egg shells are very similar to teeth and by soaking eggs in soda, fruit juice, milk, and water overnight, students were able to observe the changes each liquid had on the egg shells. The students made predictions about what would happen in each liquid.

After 24 hours, students used a toothbrush with toothpaste and started to scrub! They scrubbed the eggs that turned brown and demonstrated how toothpaste and proper brushing techniques help keep teeth healthy. Some students were shocked by how brown and brittle some eggs turned! 

In addition to the egg lab, third-graders were offered the opportunity to enter a poster contest organized by the Pennsylvania Dental Association. Every third-grader in the state of Pennsylvania is eligible to enter the contest. Flyers were sent home with details and the rules of the contest. The deadline to mail an entry is March 3rd, 2023. The top three third-graders in the state all get cash prizes, with the first place student receiving $500 dollars, as well as the school receiving $250 dollars! This is a great opportunity for our Swain Campus third-graders to be creative and learn about a very important topic. 

Overall, the experiment was a success, and the impact the drinks had on the eggs really put the importance of dental health to the forefront of their minds. Remember a healthy smile is the start to a healthy life!