EGG-STRAORDINARY EGG-SPERIMENT
At this time of year, kids enjoy coloring eggs, parents are stuffing treats into brightly colored plastic eggs, and egg hunts are a part of some family weekend activities. Ms. Quillo had a different approach. She challenged her middle school students to build a device that would protect an egg and prevent it from breaking when dropped from the top of a 2nd floor stairwell through to the basement.
As the 6th – 8th grade students practiced the engineering design process, they were given a budget of "$100" to purchase supplies. The supplies' price ranged from $2.00 for one toothpick to $5.00 for one cotton ball to $20 for one balloon. Students needed to consider slowing down the egg's descent speed, making sure something other than the egg could absorb the impact of the landing, and have the egg land on the strongest part of the shell (top or bottom). Once the design and planning were complete, it was time to work in teams to build and test the device.
Mr. Vossel constructed a device in the stairwell that allowed for a controlled drop from a height of 22 feet. It allowed the students' creations to be dropped from the same height, without any wind or other impeding variables. Egg Drop Day was on Friday, March 19. Ms. Quillo dropped the egg from the top of the stairwell, and a student was at the bottom to retrieve the egg after the fall. In 6th grade, 6 out of 11 eggs survived the fall. In 7th grade, 6 out of 11 eggs survived the fall. In 8th grade, 5 out of 12 eggs survived the fall.
The final part of the project was to review their designs, determine which materials were the most important, which were least important, and decide what adjustments could have been made to make the device work better. The students agreed that the cushioning of the egg was the most important component, with newspaper, cotton balls, and cardboard being the best materials to protect the eggs.
The egg drop experiment is a great use of eggs as a learning tool, especially at this time of year. It also reminds us that eggs are a perfect Easter symbol - a symbol of the new life we find because of the Resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Have a blessed Easter!!
