Egg drops may be the most versatile activity. You can teach gravity in kindergarten, engineering in middle school, and physics in high school. (I have also done egg drops in professional development as a team building activity). These 27 egg drop ideas tackle challenges far beyond the basics.
Additionally, fill out the form on this page to receive the accompanying Egg Drop Challenge worksheet to help students walk you through the process of planning and testing their designs.
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1. Egg Drop Challenge “How To”
Watch our how-to video for an easy step-by-step explanation of the intricacies of the Egg Drop Challenge. This video includes some fun ideas to spice up your egg-dropping challenge, as well as some examples of how to make the best equipment to hold eggs.
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2. Disaster egg drop
Ask students to imagine they are delivering eggs to people affected by a disaster. They must try to use the contents of the care package to package and deliver the eggs. The focus of this egg drop is on the change from potential energy to kinetic energy and how the energy is transferred when it hits the ground.
Try: Care Package Egg Drop
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3. Drop the egg with a parachute
Looking for tried-and-true ideas on how to drop an egg with a parachute? Give your students a variety of materials, such as straws, popsicle sticks, paper, and bags, and see who can make a parachute where the egg floats instead of flying away. Let’s try it.
Try: Egg Parachute
I Heart Cunning
4. Humpty Dumpty Drop
First, decorate the eggs in the style of Humpty Dumpty (smile, overalls). Next, fill the bag with various materials such as water beads, sand, pasta, and cotton balls. Take Humpty home to see which material protects him best.
Try it: The Science of Humpty Dumpty
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5. Hot Air Balloon Egg Drop
Tie the “basket” and the balloon together with yarn and check to see if the balloon floats lightly to prevent the egg from breaking. Try this in different types of weather and see what happens to the balloons and eggs when it’s windy and when it’s not.
Try it: Gravity and air resistance experiments
6. Crash Kart Egg Race
In this version of Egg Drop, you build a cart for eggs, send each egg down a ramp or course, and see if the cart protects the eggs.
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7. Cereal Egg Drop
Another lesson on how energy is absorbed. Place an egg in a can and surround it with soft cereal like puffed rice.
Try: Cereal Egg Drops
8. Dodecahedron egg drop
Make a dodecahedron using straws, place an egg in the middle, and drop it. Will the structure of the straw be enough to protect the egg from breaking?Bonus: Students will learn about geometry and the dodecahedron.
Try: Straw Dodecahedron Egg Drop
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9. Egg drop in styrofoam cup
Use Styrofoam cups to stack around the eggs. Place a heavy stone at the bottom of the first cup (the stone should be heavier than the egg). Then place 6 more cups on top, fill the 7th cup with the egg, and cover the stack with the 8th cup. Tape the stack together and drop it.
Try this: Styrofoam egg drops
10. Rubber band suspension egg drop
Hang the eggs using rubber bands and pantyhose for protection. Will the egg bounce, wiggle, or crack on impact?
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11. Paper straw egg drop
Sometimes limited materials can bring out students’ creativity. Give your students just eggs, paper, and scissors and see what they come up with.
Try: Paper Egg Drops
12. Pringles Canned Egg Drops
Pringles cans are the perfect size and shape to protect eggs. Use a cushion and a pencil to hold the egg in place.
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13. Sponge egg drop
Make a hole in the center of the sponge and place the egg into the hole. Then use a straw and tape to secure the egg and see if the sponge cushions the impact.
Try: Sponge Egg Drop
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14. Paper bag parachute
Looking for more ideas to incorporate a parachute into your egg dropping challenge? Place an egg in a red solo cup filled with cushioning material (shredded paper, cotton). Next, attach a plastic bag to the cup and launch it in a place where the wind hits it.
Try this: Drop an egg with a plastic bag parachute
15. Egg drops on toilet paper and duct tape
Push the egg inside the toilet paper, stuff it with cotton balls and cover with duct tape. You can use this strategy to drop eggs or roll through obstacle courses.
16. Oobleck Wrapped Egg Challenge
For a multi-step approach, make the oobleck and cover the eggs with the oobleck. Next, place the eggs in a cup with soft packaging material (mini marshmallows, cotton balls). Cover the top with plastic wrap or tape and prepare to drop.
cool science dad
17. Ship egg drop
Give students a collection of materials such as popsicle sticks, straws, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, yarn, cotton balls, and sandwich bags. Next, challenge them to build a ship to protect the eggs.
Try: Ship Egg Drop
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18. Pool Noodle Egg Drop
What can’t you do with pool noodles? Cut pool noodles into sections and use duct tape, rubber bands, and other materials to create soft, spongy pods for eggs.
Try: Pool Noodle Egg Drop
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19. Egg drop on toilet paper roll
Use toilet paper rolls as pillars to support and protect the eggs, and use sponges and rubber bands to secure the eggs. The big question about this falling egg is: Will it float or will it crash?
Try this: egg drop on toilet paper
20. Water bag egg drop
What happens if you put an egg in a bag of water? Ask students to hypothesize whether the egg will crack based on the amount of water in the bag.
Try: Water Bag Egg Drop
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21. Enhanced egg drop
Discuss what it means to strengthen an object and show students the different ways to strengthen an egg in a box or jar (or a jar in a box).
Try it: Fortified Egg Drop
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22. Foam-covered eggs
Cover the egg with foam, making sure it’s cushioned enough to prevent it from falling. If you don’t have frome, you can also try kinetic sand, playdough, or something that covers the egg to absorb shock.
Try: Frome Egg Drop
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23. Egg drops in peanut butter jars
Press the egg into the peanut butter jar, wrap it in tissue, and secure it to the box. Next, check to see if it protects the egg from breaking when dropped.
Try: Peanut Butter Jar Egg Drops
24. Balloon bomb egg drop
Surround the egg with balloons filled with beads for a softer landing.
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25. Another balloon bomb
Cut out a floral foam disk and press an egg inside. Then add balloons to soften the landing.
Try: Balloon Bomb Egg Drop
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
26. Bungee Egg Drop
This activity itself is not about dropping eggs. Students use rubber bands to create a bungee jump for the egg and predict the number of rubber bands needed to drop the egg a certain length (perhaps 6 feet). For students familiar with egg drops, this is a fun spin on the idea.
Try it: Egg bungee
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27. Backyard Egg Drop
Looking for ideas to make your egg drop projects more challenging? Have your students use natural materials such as tree branches, leaves, and abandoned bird nests to create egg drop structures. Ask students to find the ingredients inside.
Try: Nature Egg Drop
Get your printable Egg Drop Challenge Worksheet!
Click the button below to get a free printable worksheet to use for your classroom egg drop challenge. The worksheet includes space to brainstorm egg drop designs and a section to document your results.
