Egg Drop Excitement

Teams of 6th graders clutched one another as they stepped up to the ladder handing over their precious cargo—an egg in a custom-designed protective container—to STEM Leader Lucas Kelly. With closed eyes and scrunched faces, students telegraphed their anxiety and excitement each time Lucas ascended the ladder to call out “3, 2, 1,” and let go of the package. A quick free fall and thud onto the gym floor yielded reactions of alarm as teams rushed to unwrap their packages and see if their eggs survived unscathed.

Much more than an exercise in managing anxiety, the egg drop challenge introduces students to the laws of physics, fluid dynamics, and budget management. Using only inexpensive, common materials such as string, cotton balls, aluminum foil, and paper, 6^th graders must design the cheapest and most effective container to resist the force of gravity and slow the egg's decent to minimize fateful damage.

Each week during their STEAM block, 6th graders are stretching their design process thinking as they apply Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math skills. Next up: ROCKETS!