Egg Drop
Humpty Dumpty’s fate might have been different with this kind of help.
What you need:
• 3 fresh eggs (raw)
• 3 zip-top baggies
• protective materials, such as cotton balls, plastic grocery bags, squares of bubble wrap, sheets of newspaper, paper towels
What to do:
1. Put each egg in its own baggie.
2. Ask your child to choose exactly six items to protect each egg. For instance, she could choose four handfuls of cotton balls, one plastic grocery bag, and one paper towel.
3. Make predictions about which combination of materials is most and least likely to protect the egg. Record these hypotheses.
4. Place the protective materials in the baggie with the egg and seal the top. Drop each baggie from an equal height.
5. Were your child's hypotheses or predictions confirmed or not? What combinations of materials were most effective at preventing eggs from cracking?
6. If interested, test additional combinations of materials. For an extra challenge, your child could even try placing two eggs in a single bag.
Learning benefits:
• develops planning skills
• provides practice with testing hypotheses
• supports experimentation skills
