Egg Drop Challenge for Kids

The Egg Drop Challenge is a fun activity for kids and grown-ups alike. This classic science project will put your imagination to the test as you cleverly design a structure that will shield an egg from breaking when it falls. The challenge is one of the most fun STEM activities related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and is an amazing way to keep your kids thinking and learning. This activity may not be ideal for kids that are too young as it involves the use of many loose materials and design making.

What Is The Egg Drop Project About?

The Egg Drop Project is a classic science project through which you design a system that protects an egg from breaking when it falls. It is a simple project that can be carried out using household items. This STEM Activity is neither expensive nor time-consuming and super fun. The project aims to drop a raw egg from a certain height, usually 1 meter, in a manner such that the egg doesn’t crack or smash. The project is often assigned to kids from elementary school all the way to high school to test their science skills and ingenuity. Egg drop challenge rules can vary as different teachers may have specific time, weight, and height requirements.

What You Will Need

Egg drop challenge materials can be found right at home. However, there are many ways to experiment, so what you will need will depend upon the method you try. Here are some necessary items you may need:

• Egg (maybe some spare ones as well)
• Plastic bags, boxes, balloons, sponges, cardboard rolls, cups, tissue.
• Any packing material like bubble wrap or cotton balls.
• PlayDoh or modelling clay and water.
• Popsicle sticks, drinking straws.
• String, tape, rubber bands, or wire.

Instructions to Be Followed

Here are the steps to follow:

• Gather the materials that you’ll need to create the container you have designed and place them all on a table.
• Keep your eggs aside in a bowl so that they don’t roll off the table.
• Look up some sample ideas on the internet for some inspiration or ask your kids what they think should be done. Let them come up with some possible ideas for a structure that can prevent an egg from cracking. Brainstorming is one of the most fun stages of any activity, and it will get their juices flowing.
• Ask your children to select the box-shaped container and fill it with something soft, like tissue paper.
• Put the egg inside the container and secure it with a string or some tape.
• Take the structure to a high location, like the second floor of a building or the top of a slide, and drop the egg. Before dropping the egg, be sure to law a plastic cover or newspapers down so that if the egg breaks, it doesn’t create a mess.
• If you succeed, you can try other ways to do the project, and if you fail, you and your child can discuss why the egg broke and how you can rectify the error and keep trying! You can keep increasing the height to test your structure.

Other Egg Drop Ideas That Work

There are numerous materials and techniques you can use for the challenge apart from the one mentioned above. Here are some other ideas:

1. Parachute

The Egg Parachute challenge is a fun and effective way to do the experiment. You use a plastic bag and string to make a parachute attached to something that will hold the egg, like a lightweight box. The size of the parachute will depend upon the weight and size of the container.

2. Peanut Butter Jar

You can take a peanut butter jar, line it with some bubble wrap and place the egg inside and then suspend the jar in a box using rubber bands.

3. Cereal Bag

You can take a box of some light crispy cereal and fill the cereal into four or five sandwich bags. Place these bags around the egg as a cushioning. This method is effective for a two-story drop, and you can use it for greater heights by adding more cereal.

4. Balloons

You can put the egg in some hollowed-out floral foam and attach some balloons to the foam to make the landing soft.

5. Oobleck Cushion

While this method is easy to perform, its science might be a bit advanced for tiny kids. A mixture of cornstarch and water that forms a non-Newtonian fluid, i.e., a fluid with no constant viscosity value, is called oobleck. The liquid becomes solid under pressure. You can place your egg in this liquid that contains two parts cornstarch and one part water. Put it in a quart-size bag.

Egg Drop Challenge Work – What It Teaches

The Egg Drop challenge will push your kids to think scientifically and use their creativity. These are the benefits that you will accrue from this simple and fun science project:

1. Fine Motor Skills

The project requires your child to handle numerous small materials and design a stable and elegant structure to make an egg withstand a fall. Simultaneously, the activity also involves larger movements like walking or climbing up to the height from which you wish to drop the egg.

2. Creativity

This experiment hones your child’s imagination as they can experiment with different materials and heights. They can come up with creative designs like parachutes and find the right materials to create the structure. They can figure out ways to improve their design to withstand a fall from a greater height.

3. Literacy

This project is a great way to learn about science. You can discuss with your child how different materials will work and why some materials will not.

The Egg Drop Challenge is a great way to promote an interest in science. It is a classic experiment to test your imagination and can be performed easily and inexpensively right at home.

Also Read:

Fun Indoor and Outdoor Physical Activities for Children
Exciting Creative Activities for Children
Fun Water Games for Children