The Sandbox

Activities!

Blow Your Top | Print A Fish | Whale of a Mobile | See The Sea Shrimp

See The Sea Shrimp!

Things You'll Need:

• brine shrimp eggs (available from any pet store)
• noniodized or kosher salt (available at most grocery stores)
2
• litre pot or large bowl
• water
• teaspoon
• medicine dropper
• magnifying glass
a
• ged tap water (see below)

Let's Get Started:

1. Fill the pot with water and allow it to sit for 3 days, stirring it occasionally.(Most city water has chlorine in it, which will kill the shrimp. By letting it "age" for several days the chlorine gas can escape from the water).
2. Mix 5 teaspoons of noniodized salt with the water until dissolved.
3. Add ½ teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs to the salt water and place the pot in a warm spot.
4. Use the medicine dropper to remove some eggs from the water and observe them with your magnifying glass. Check a drop of water everyday. You may wish to create a series of drawings or illustrations to record the growth of your brine shrimp.

What happens:

The brine shrimp eggs will begin to hatch in about 2 days. They will continue to grow in the water until they reach their adult stage. You will be able to watch this growth period over several days.

Brine Shrimp eggs that are purchased at a pet store are the fertilized eggs of very tiny animals called brine shrimp. The eggs you purchase are dried and can be kept for a very long periods of time. When they are added to the salt water, the eggs "wake up" and begin to grow. Brine shrimp eggs are sold as fish food for aquariums.