9781422284957

Try It Yourself

“Drink your milk!” Ever wonder why grown-ups say that all the time? It’s because of the calcium in the milk and other dairy products. Calcium helps make your bones strong. See what can happen to your bones if they don’t get enough calcium.

Materials: • three clean and dry chicken or turkey bones • three glass jars • vinegar • water • calcium powder

1. Fill each glass jar about ¾ of the way with water. Place 3 tablespoons of vin- egar in one jar. Add 3 tablespoons of calcium powder to another, leaving the third unaltered.

2. Label each jar.

3. Add a chicken bone to each jar, making sure the bones are completely sub- merged in the water.

4. What do you think will happen to the bones in each jar? Write your predic- tions.

5. Wait a week. At the end of that time carefully remove the bones.

6. How do they feel? How do they look? What impact did the vinegar have on the bone? What about the calcium powder?

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