Share this Egg Drop Challenge with your class while incorporating elements of Science, Critical Thinking and problem solving! This is a wonderful way to bring the love of learning and experimentation to life across all grades.

The obective of an Egg Drop Challenge is to assemble a protective container that will prevent your raw egg from breaking upon a high fall. It’s easy to customize this activity for younger grades, or make it more complex for the older grades. 

What you need:

• Eggs
• Toilet paper rolls
• Newspaper
• Small cardboard box
• Popsicle Sticks
• Tape
• Rubber bands
• Plastic Bag
• String
• Balloons
• Sponges
• Packing material (ex. bubble wrap or cotton balls)

Step 1: Discuss  

Gather all the available materials except the eggs. Share them with your class and discuss the best ways each item can be used to help protect the egg. Encourage your students to combine multiple items to enhance their protective qualities.

Questions to ask the class:

• How does gravity play a part in this experiment?

(Gravity is a force of attraction that pulls a mass towards the ground.)

• Why does the egg break when it hits the ground?

(A collision occurs between the eggshell and the earth. The energy and the momentum of the egg changes the force strength and causes the eggshell to break as it hits the ground.)

• Why doesn’t egg break with the egg drop device?

(The device can provide protection in the form of padding, which cushions the egg. You can compare this to the airbags you find in a car. The airbag protects a person in an accident. The packing material and plastic bag protect the egg when it hits the ground.) 

Step 2: Plan

Allow your students to design and make a container to protect their egg from breaking from a high fall. They can plan their design on paper before getting started.

Step 3: Build

Each student, or groups of students will build their container. Once they are ready, they can place the egg inside the center.

Step 4: Drop the egg

With adult supervision and a discussion about safety rules, allow each container to drop with the egg inside from high of at least 1 meter. We recommend only dropping one container at a time to avoid any collisions.

Step 5: Check the egg

After each container is dropped, look to see if the egg has cracked or if it has remained intact. Document the results and compare which materials and assembly techniques stood up to the challenge! Always remember to wash your hands after touching raw eggs!