STEM - Egg Drop

The egg drop is a contest that is typically related to Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. Usually,
students make contraptions that contain and protect an egg. They then drop it from a certain
height—often a roof—to test the effectiveness of their contraption. This is how it was for my egg
drop project. Students were tasked to research types of egg drop projects, including successful
and not so successful ideas. We then needed to create our own, having a creative yet effective
design that would protect our eggs in style. The learning goal for this project was to apply
Newton’s Laws of Motion to create a contraption that successfully protected the egg from a drop
off the roof.

For my egg drop, I had a few measures of protection. Firstly, I encased the egg in Jello, which
was poured into a plastic cup. Then, I surrounded it with large marshmallows in a takeout
container. The container was then taped all around the outside, making it more sturdy and
completely closed. The last thing I added was a parachute out of paracord and nylon fabric, to
soften the landing slightly. In the process of this STEM project, I learned how to think more
creatively when finding solutions to a problem. One of the notes on the directions for this project
was that using packaging materials would lower points. In order to still protect my egg and keep
those points, I had to be creative and utilize other materials; Jello and marshmallows. I also
learned how Newton’s Laws can be applied to my project, and I grew in my understanding of
how gravity and motion work.

Although my design was somewhat interesting, I feel that I could have made it better. The
protection aspect was there, however I realize that I could have made a more imaginative design.
I think that would be the only aspect of the project I would change if I were given the
opportunity to. I enjoyed my Jello and marshmallow design, and would reuse it if I were to redo
this project.

I connect this project to the SLE Knowledge. I feel that by completing this project, I also
achieved this SLE. With this assignment, I took ownership and pride in my learning. Another
thing is that I took ownership of the product of my learning. I also shared my ideas with my
peers during the research/building process.