Turkey Egg Drop Project with Popsicle Sticks
Categories Seasonal STEAM , Thanksgiving STEAM Activities
Save this idea for later so you don't forget to use it!
The classic egg drop experiment is a favorite STEM activity in our house, and one we’ve done many times.
While we’ve tried several fun twists on the classic egg drop experiment, this time, we decided to see if we could make our eggs look like turkeys.
The turkey egg drop project with popsicle sticks was a hit, and just the thing to try on Thanksgiving day with the kiddos, or in the classroom in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
It’s a really fun twist on Thanksgiving STEM activities that you can do year after year!
Save the Turkeys: Turkey STEM Activity
Turns out, when you personify an egg, children are a lot more motivated to protect it!
The kids did not want our little turkeys to die, so they were extra creative in their preparations to save the turkey from his descent to the ground.
Find more fun Thanksgiving STEM activities here!
Egg Drop Project STEM Extensions
When you do this egg drop activity, particularly this popsicle stick egg drop version, there are some fun STEM extensions to include!
Here’s what to include for science:
Talk about the environmental impact of packing materials and ways to reduce waste and climate change with packaging choices.
What is the most environmentally-friendly way to protect their eggs?
Here’s what to include for technology:
Discuss the technology used in package production and how engineers identify the best materials to use for packaging. How has packaging changed as technology has advanced?
Here’s what to include for engineering:
Try to create the design that best protects the eggs. Consider how you could product your egg turkeys from other sorts of distress in addition to just dropped force.
Here’s what to include for math:
For math, try identifying any patterns or corolations between how fast the egg is dropped and whether it breaks.
Can you slow the speed of the objects fall by introducing drag?
Discuss the mathematical concept for drag and how it is found for a particular object.
How to Do the Egg Drop Project with Popsicle Sticks :
Use what you have in the classroom or at home to create a cocoon for your turkey that will keep it from breaking!
What you will need for the popsicle stick egg drop :
This post contains affiliate links.
- Various building materials (plastic baggies, popsicle sticks, aluminum foil, etc)
- Construction paper
- Googly eyes
Popsicle Stick Egg Drop Design
Follow these directions to make your own egg drop turkey experiment!
Build the Turkey
First, build your turkeys. Let the eggs sit out at room temperature until they stop sweating. Glue on a waddle, beak, googly eyes, and feathers.
Get as creative as you like here- they are your turkeys!
Protect the Turkey
Use the materials at hand to protect the turkey from its fall. We used ziplock baggies to hold everything in place in case things got messy.
My kids each tried a different design.
Monkey built an elaborate cage for her egg, while Bo just sort of wrapped the egg in a variety of materials including aluminum foil and cotton balls.
Test the Design
Drop the bags from a high area (we chose a tree).
Open the bags and inspect the turkeys. Are they safe from the fall?
When dropped onto dirt, our turkeys were perfectly safe.
But when dropped on rocks, they both cracked.
Test your designs from various heights and on various surfaces to see how well they hold up.
More Thanksgiving STEM Activities
Simple Thanksgiving Science Experiments for the Elementary Classroom
Thanksgiving Engineering Activities for Elementary
8 Exciting November STEM Activities for Elementary
Thanksgiving I Spy
- Skip to primary navigation
- Skip to main content
- Skip to footer
Science Struck
Simple and Easy Egg Drop Project Ideas You Should Try Next
Egg drop projects challenge students and individuals to devise working contraptions to safely land an egg without causing it to crack. ScienceStruck brings to you some easy ideas that you can implement for your egg drop project.
Like it? Share it!
To Put It Bluntly
The egg dropping device should be such that it creates air resistance which slows the descent, thus minimizing the impact on contact with the ground.
Egg drop competitions are held in schools and colleges where students compete with one another to create unique devices to safely land an egg when dropped from a decided height. The goal is to keep the raw egg intact, and minimize the impact on the egg encased in the contraption.
While the designs for the device can range from simple to complex depending on the creativity of an individual, he/she has to make do with limited material. The egg drop project is definitely a means for students to learn the basics of science―from velocity and force to rate of speed. It compels them to think of innovative ways to protect the egg on impact.
Egg Drop Project Ideas
Using toilet paper rolls.
Materials Required
- 2 Toilet paper rolls
- Thick paper
Getting ready Cut a toilet roll horizontally to get two exact halves. Slit the other toilet roll lengthwise. You now have three pieces of toilet roll to work with. Wrap the egg in a Ziploc bag to reduce the impact on landing.
- Place one of the halves on a flat surface, and place the slit tube over it.
- Ensuring it fits snugly over the lower half, tape the longer roll back together.
- You have now created a cylinder which will effectively cover the lower half.
- Detach the pieces of toilet roll, and use a scissor to make 1-inch vertical cuts in the lower half.
- Fix the widened tube over the half, and make two holes through them.
- Push two straws through the holes ensuring they intersect at the center of the tube, and keep the base aside.
The propeller
- Use the uncut half to create blades by inserting wooden skewers into the upper portion of the roll.
- Ensure the skewers encircle the perimeter of the toilet roll.
- Cut out rectangular strips of the paper, and stick them to each of the skewers at slight angles using glue or electric tape.
- Ensure the blades are equidistant from the center of the tube and tilted at the same angle.
- The propeller tube should resemble a miniature version of an exhaust fan.
The assembly
- Place the egg, which was wrapped in a Ziploc bag, vertically inside the base.
- Ensure it neatly sits over the straws.
- Place the propeller on top of the widened tube.
- Fix it into place with a single skewer inserted through the two pieces of tube.
- Bend the vertical slits outward to act like a shock absorber on landing.
- Attach a piece of thread to the top portion of the propeller.
- Hold the device with the help of the thread to test the working.
Using Balloons
- Balloons
- Wicker basket
- Skewers
- Paper balls or
Getting ready Do away with the handle and side trimmings of the basket. Cut the cloth to the desired length. Wrap the egg with paper balls or cotton.
- Fasten the basket to the inflated balloons on all four sides.
- The balloons will create a soft cushion for the landing.
- Use the skewers to create a frame to attach the fabric.
- Fasten the rectangular piece of cloth to individual skewers.
- Attach the wing to the skewer frame using hot glue.
- Attach the lower end of the skewer frame to the basket.
- Secure the frame in place along the edges of the basket using burlap strings or glue.
- Place the egg in the basket.
- Keep the egg in place either using strings or skewers intersecting in the center.
Using Plastic Cups
- Plastic cups
- Popsicle sticks
- Plastic bag
Getting ready Tape the cotton onto the egg, and keep aside. You can even use bubble wrap to provide extra cushioning for the egg.
- Use popsicle sticks to create the landing base for the cups.
- Crisscross two sticks and stick them to the base of a plastic cup.
- Use additional duct tape to keep the sticks in place.
- Stack a couple of cups into each other.
- Place the egg in the topmost cup.
- Stack a couple of cups over the egg.
- Use duct tape to seal the cups from opening.
- Create a square frame with the ice cream sticks.
- Use skewers to attach the base to the frame.
- Secure the joints with electrical tape or duct tape.
- Use the thread to attach the plastic bag to the frame.
- Using glue, attach the propeller to the skewers that are jetting out of the cups.
- Secure it in place with tape.
Using Popsicle Sticks
- Lightweight paper
- Rubber bands
Getting ready Secure the egg with cotton or bubble wrap. Place in a Ziploc pouch filled with cotton. You can even place it in a burlap pouch.
- Create a cube-shaped frame with the ice cream sticks.
- Seal the joints with glue.
- Hang the burlap pouch with the egg in the center of the cube.
- Secure the open ends of the cube by crisscrossing the ice cream sticks.
- Use glue to ensure that they do not come apart.
- Allow to dry thoroughly before you secure with electrical tape.
- Split the popsicle sticks in halves, or better still, use skewers or thin sticks to make the frame for the propeller.
- Create a spiral-shaped frame using skewers.
- Cover the frame with the paper. Glue and trim the edges to get a clean finish.
- Use hot glue to secure the joints together.
- Use a skewer to attach the propeller to the base.
- Fasten the joints with glue and tape ensuring that it does not move.
- Use twine to cover the edges as well as to give it additional strength.
- Once the glue is set, test your device.
Using Drinking Straw
- Drinking straws
- Bubble wrap
Getting ready You can choose to secure the egg in bubble wrap, or keep it as it is.
- Join two straws together by inserting one into the other.
- Bend the straws at their joint.
- Use a drop of glue on the inner side of the straw to ensure the straws do not come apart.
- Create a mat of straws in a similar manner.
- Repeat the process twice, so you have a three to four layers of straw as the base.
- Stick two straws together with glue.
- You can alternately use tape to hold your straws parallel to each other.
- Create a basket of straws by assembling the straws in similar fashion.
- Use more straws to create a protective shield around the egg.
- Hold the straws in place with tape and glue.
- Place the egg in the straw basket.
- Cover the top with straws and ribbons.
- Use some more tape to go over the basket to provide additional strength to hold the egg inside.
- Test your device and make adjustments accordingly.
Using Bagels
- Bagels
Getting ready Wrap the egg in bubble wrap, and keep aside.
- Secure two bagels with the help of skewers.
- Place the bubble-wrapped egg horizontally in the gap of the bagel.
- Cover the egg with the third bagel.
- Secure the bagels in place with more skewers.
- You can use gum paste or glue made from cornstarch to hold the bagels together.
- Use a ribbon to hold the bagels together.
Get Updates Right to Your Inbox
Privacy overview.
The Cool Science Dad
A sharing of science experiences between the Cool Science Dad and his two daughters. Updates on Monday - Friday.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
The egg drop experiment.
13 comments:
Show a pic of the winners please.
Great idea John. I'll dig through my pictures and notes and publish a new post next week sometime with the winner.
this helping me wih my project
we don't have twelve sticks
Uh....okay. That's good news because you only need 10 of each type. :-)
Please tell me how to make the small box... Please!
Shaine...if I told you, all critical thinking would disappear. Try several designs yourself to see what works best.
but its due tommarrow
Yes...that's a problem. Not much I can do for you.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
My egg container worked the first time and not the second time. Why?
Well, without knowing any specifics I can't answer that question. I could depend on how the craft landed. If it landed slightly differently this will alter the forces acting on the egg and possibly causing the break.
Enter your email to download PDF and receive updates from OSMO
Scan to get started.
The Assessment App is available only on the Apple App Store . Please scan the QR code below with your iPhone device to download the app.
Egg Drop Project
Have you ever wondered how to safely drop an egg from a height without breaking it? Try the egg drop challenge and find out if you can safely drop an egg without breaking it.
There are many cool and easy science experiments for kids to do at home or as a part of their school project. One such simple science experiment is the egg drop project. The egg drop project is also a fun activity to teach children about the laws of motion and gravity.
Here is a step-by-step guide to dropping an egg without breaking it.
Materials You Need For The Egg Drop Project
- A Step-By-Step GuideTo Perform The Egg Drop Project
The Science Behind The Egg Drop Project
Other ideas to ace the egg drop project, why should you do the egg drop project.
The egg drop project does need a few materials. But they are inexpensive materials you can find at home or in a craft store. You can make it more challenging for the kids and tell them to use as few materials as possible to perform the egg drop project. Here are the instructions to build an easy egg drop device, which will ensure a successful egg drop experiment.
Here is a list of things you’ll need for an easy egg drop device to ace the egg drop challenge.
- An extra-large sized Ziploc bag
- Bubble wrap
- Adhesive tape
- Packing peanuts
- A large empty plastic jar
- A carton of eggs
Download Egg Drop Project Printable
A Step-By-Step Guide To Perform The Egg Drop Project
Here is a step-by-step guide to building the easiest egg drop device. This device ensures that the egg doesn’t break when it’s dropped from a height.
Place a raw egg in the middle of a sheet of bubble wrap. Roll the bubble wrap around the egg several times. Seal the bubble wrap with some adhesive tape to ensure that the egg is securely wrapped.
Fill the plastic jar halfway with packing peanuts and place the egg in the middle. Add the rest of the packing peanuts into the jar until it’s filled. This provides good padding for the egg.
Wrap the jar in several layers of bubble wrap on all sides and secure it with adhesive tape.
Then, place the bubble-wrapped jar in the Ziploc bag. Ensure that the bubble-wrapped jar fits neatly inside the Ziploc bag.
Step 5 – Bombs Away!
Now, drop this Ziploc bag from a height and see if the egg breaks.
What is gravity?
Gravity is a force of attraction that pulls on a mass. The earth’s gravitational force is what keeps us standing on the ground. The same gravity is the reason that fruits fall from trees. This is also the reason a ball or egg that is thrown in the air falls back to the ground.
Why does the egg break when it is thrown from a height?
When an egg hits the ground, a collision occurs between the eggshell and the Earth. When this happens, the energy and the momentum of the egg and the Earth are transferred and their properties are changed. Many forces are responsible for this change and these strong forces cause the eggshell to break as it hits the ground.
Why doesn’t the egg break in a successful egg drop device?
The egg drop device provides good padding, which cushions the egg. This is the same concept as airbags in vehicles, which protect the passengers in an accident. The bubble wrap, packing peanuts in the jar, and Ziploc bag protect the egg by absorbing the impact when it hits the ground.
This is not the only way to perform the egg drop experiment. Place some yarn, adhesive tape, paper straws, popsicle sticks, Ziploc bags, trash bags, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, glue, rubber bands and eggs in front of the child. Ask them to experiment with the materials and come up with egg drop experiment ideas. Then tell them to use these ideas to build a device that ensures the egg doesn’t break when dropped. The egg drop challenge also helps children think outside the box to create a structure that prevents the egg from breaking. Place the materials in front of your child or the team of kids. Then challenge them to build a structure that holds the egg and prevents it from breaking.
The best way for children to learn and understand science and develop an interest in it is through experimenting. When kids learn new things in a practical way, they can retain the information for a much longer time. This also keeps them engaged and helps them to develop an interest in the subject they are learning. Learning science can sometimes be confusing and at times it can be boring. Gravity and motion are one such subjects that can sometimes be too complex for kids to understand.
The egg drop project is a great way to help kids understand these concepts quickly. The answer is to build a simple structure around the egg so that it doesn’t break even when it is dropped from a height. But, it is not as simple as it sounds. You might end up sacrificing a few eggs for the egg drop project. The design can be simple or complicated, but it should decrease the energy transferred to kinetic energy from potential energy on the eggshell.
It can be a team activity or you and your kid can do it together. Additionally, the egg drop experiment is a great way to test your child’s creativity, imagination, and strategizing skills. Additionally, the experiment also teaches them physics concepts like gravity, motion, momentum etc.
Frequently Asked Questions on Egg Drop Project
What are the items required for egg drop project.
The items required for the egg drop project are eggs, bubble wrap, a plastic jar, packing peanuts, a Ziploc bag, and adhesive tape.
What do children learn from Egg Drop Project?
When kids perform Egg Drop Project they learn about gravity and its important properties. Also understanding the reason behind the breakage of eggs when dropped from a certain height.
Best Egg Drop Project Ideas
Take the egg drop challenge for an awesome STEM project for young kids and older ones too! Your imagination is the limit with this cleverly styled egg drop as you investigate what makes for the best shock absorber for dropping an egg. We have tons more STEM activities for you to try! Read on to find out how the egg drop challenge works and what are the best materials for an egg drop.
EGG DROP PROJECT IDEAS FOR KIDS
TAKE THE EGG DROP CHALLENGE
Egg drop challenges are super cool and are terrific STEM activities! I have been waiting to do a classic egg drop project for some time with my son but felt like he was too young.
The goal of the egg drop challenge is to drop your egg from a height without it breaking when it hits the ground.
Most egg drop projects use quite a bit of loose materials, design making, and tinkering that my son just isn’t ready for yet. I happened to see this plastic bag style of egg drop over at The Measured Mom which is perfect for a mess free challenge. I thought we could really expand on it by using materials found in our own kitchen to protect the eggs.
What else can you do with eggs? Watch the video!
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SCIENCE PROJECT?
First, what is STEM? STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math. It’s definitely the new word on the street because of our tech rich society and the lean towards the sciences and getting kids engaged early.
A good STEM project will have a little of at least 2 of the 4 pillars of STEM and often you will find a solid experiment or challenge naturally uses bits and pieces of most of the pillars. As you can see these 4 areas are very intertwined. LEARN MORE: What Is STEM?
STEM doesn’t have to be boring, expensive, or time-consuming. We love to try out neat STEM activities all the time, and you can use super simple supplies to make great STEM projects.
SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS
Want to turn this fun science activity into a science fair project? Then you will want to check out these helpful resources.
- Easy Science Fair Projects
- Science Project Tips From A Teacher
- Science Fair Board Ideas
STEM QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
These STEM questions for reflection are perfect to use with older kiddos to talk about how the project went and what they might do differently next time around. Use these questions for reflection with your kids after they have completed the STEM challenge to encourage discussion of results and critical thinking .
- What were some of the challenges you discovered along the way?
- What worked well and what did not work well?
- What part of your model or prototype do you really like? Explain why.
- What part of your model or prototype needs improvement? Explain why.
- What other materials would you like to use if you could do this challenge again?
- What would you do differently next time?
- What parts of your model or prototype are similar to the real world version?
WHAT ARE THE BEST MATERIALS FOR AN EGG DROP?
We have two versions of this egg drop challenge below, one for older kids and one for younger kids. Do you need real eggs? Usually, I would say yes, but given the circumstances, how about candy-filled plastic eggs ? If you don’t want to waste food for any reason, don’t! Find a workaround instead.
Grab the FREE Printable Egg Drop Worksheets Here!
EGG DROP IDEAS FOR OLDER KIDS
Older kiddos will love coming up with ideas to protect the egg in an egg drop. Some materials they may want to use…
- Packaging materials
- Old t-shirts or rags
- Recycling container goodies
- And so much more!
Here’s a past year’s winner in the egg drop challenge! It even included a plastic bag parachute!
EGG DROP IDEAS FOR YOUNGER KIDS
You will need eggs and plastic zip lock bags to contain the mess! How many is up to you. We had 7 bags left, so we came up with six items from around the kitchen to fill the bags and protect the eggs and one with nothing.
I tried to pick items that weren’t too wasteful, and we had a few expired and unused items in the pantry. Some materials you could use to protect the egg…
- paper towels
- dry cereal {we used very old wheat puffs}
HOW DOES THE EGG DROP CHALLENGE WORK?
Create your own egg drop designs to protect your egg from breaking when it is dropped from a height.
If using the zip lock bags, as above, fill all your bags with packaging materials while carefully fitting an egg into each bag. You can tape the bags shut if you want. We did use tape for the bag of water.
Once your bags are completed, your egg drop challenge is ready for you to test. Make sure to drop the eggs from the same height each time.
Make predictions before you drop each bag and ask the kids why they think that will happen.
Note: I wasn’t sure what my son was going to do with the cups, but it was up to him to decide. He thought of making a lid out of the big cup. That’s the best part of a STEM challenge!
OUR EGG DROP EXPERIMENT
The first egg drop challenge had to be the egg on its own in the zip-top bag. We had to make sure the bag wasn’t protecting the egg, right? Crash and splat went that egg drop. Since it’s already in a bag, might as well squish it around!
We continued with the egg drop challenge, testing each bag and then examining the contents. This egg drop project had some clear winners!
IDEAS THAT FAILED!
Obviously, the egg did not fair well with no protection. It also didn’t make it through an egg drop in water or ice. Note: We tried the water twice! Once with 8 cups and once with 4 cups.
EGG DROP IDEAS THAT WORKED!
However, the egg drop did make it through the crazy cup contraption. We were all impressed. It also made it through a drop in a bag of cereal. The egg, however, did not fare well in the paper towels. He didn’t think the towels were thick enough!
It would be a great egg drop project idea to explore: how to drop an egg without breaking it using paper!
We concluded the egg drop challenge, with a bag of flour mix. {This was very old gluten-free mix we will never use}. The flour was “soft” apparently making for great protection against the fall.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT AN EGG IN AN EGG DROP?
What we learnt is there is not one best way to protect an egg. There are multiple ways to successfully do the egg drop. What egg drop design ideas will you come up with?
We did love that clean up was a snap with our eggs in the bag! The eggs and bags that didn’t make it went right to the trash and the other materials were easily put away. Although we taped the bag with water in it, it still got things a bit wet!
This style of egg drop is great for young kids as it is quick and pretty simple but lots of fun. I also love that it encourages a bit of problem-solving and experimenting without being overwhelming.
MORE FAVORITE STEM CHALLENGES
Straw Boats Challenge – Design a boat made from nothing but straws and tape, and see how many items it can hold before it sinks.
Strong Spaghetti – Get out the pasta and test our your spaghetti bridge designs. Which one will hold the most weight?
Paper Bridges – Similar to our strong spaghettti challenge. Design a paper bridge with folded paper. Which one will hold the most coins?
Paper Chain STEM Challenge – One of the simplest STEM challenges ever!
Spaghetti Marshmallow Tower – Build the tallest spaghetti tower that can hold the weight of a jumbo marshmallow.
Strong Paper – Experiment with folding paper in different ways to test its strength, and learn about what shapes make the strongest structures.
Marshmallow Toothpick Tower – Build the tallest tower using only marshmallows and toothpicks.
Penny Boat Challenge – Design a simple tin foil boat, and see how many pennies it can hold before it sinks.
Gumdrop B ridge – Build a bridge from gumdrops and toothpicks and see how much weight it can hold.
Cup Tower Challenge – Make the tallest tower you can with 100 paper cups.
Paper Clip Challenge – Grab a bunch of paper clips and make a chain. Are paper clips strong enough to hold weight?
HAVE YOU TRIED THE EGG DROP CHALLENGE?
Click on the image below or on the link for more awesome STEM projects!
you worry too much about what people will think do your experiments and be happy who cares if you wasted a couple eggs. it was good clean fun with your kids.
Did any of the bags burst open? I’m interesting in leading this for a library program and need to figure out where we should drop the bags.
There was no catastrophic bag opening. I would suggest making sure the air is out of the bag first. You could also drop it into a plastic bin. Also go with quality zip top bags if you are worried. Have fun with it!
- Pingback: Easter STEM Activities Countdown Challenge
coolreally handy
- Pingback: Simple Physics Activities Science Experiments STEM Ideas for Kids
- Pingback: 25 Best Science Experiments For Kids | Little Bins for Little Hands
- Pingback: My 10 Favorite Nursery Rhymes for Kids | Little Learning Corner
Comments are closed.
~ Projects to Try Now! ~
Popsicle Sticks Egg Drop Competitions
Rules, Guidelines and Rubric
Photo Album
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Nov 21, 2022 - The turkey egg drop project with popsicle sticks is tons of fun and just the thing to try on Thanksgiving day with the kiddos.
Mar 31, 2015 - This week in physics lab for my high school students we finished up the egg drop experiment. This is a lab experiment that many students co.
What you will need for the popsicle stick egg drop: · Raw eggs · Various building materials (plastic baggies, popsicle sticks, aluminum foil, etc)
Using Popsicle Sticks · Create a cube-shaped frame with the ice cream sticks. · Seal the joints with glue. · Hang the burlap pouch with the egg in the center of
There are many variations of the egg drop experiment, but in my high school classes ... 10 tongue depressors (or extra wide popsicle sticks)
This is not the only way to perform the egg drop experiment. Place some yarn, adhesive tape, paper straws, popsicle sticks, Ziploc bags, trash bags
Take the Egg Drop challenge at school or home. Low mess and great learning with a simple egg drop project all ages can enjoy.
5 designs guaranteed to win 1st place or your money back. I hope you enjoy the video and learn something new like I did when I made it.
Intro Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj1C7mjcgaoIn this egg-cellent video, the science behind 2 winning egg drop experiment ...
Popsicle Sticks Egg Drop Competitions. Rules, Guidelines and Rubric. Photo Album. ===================================== www.stemcontest.com.