Egg Drop Project Ideas That Really Work

What is the egg drop project?

If you have young kids and haven’t heard of the egg drop project yet, you definitely will in the next few years. Kids ranging from elementary school through high school age are being assigned a science (STEM) project, where they will have to use their ingenuity to design a package out of everyday items that will keep an egg from breaking when dropped from ten feet in the air. (Of course, some teachers, especially for older kids, may have different requirements for the assignment.)

The idea of the of the egg drop project is to use as few materials as possible to make the packaging strong enough to withstand the fall. Some teachers may also place a time limit and weight limit on the project.

My parents live on the seventh floor of a condo. Over the summer, my son Kai spent a week with them. The egg drop challenge was one of the many projects he and his grandpa did together. They made their contraption using a grocery bag parachute and mini box filled with lots of cotton balls for padding. It didn’t crack! Kai dropped it over the railing so many times.

Here are some of the items and materials that can be used in the egg drop project:

Looking to get some help brainstorming ideas for the challenge? Look no further. Here are a few egg drop project ideas that really work, even from extreme heights. Check them out in the slideshow.

More Activities for Kids:

Egg Drop Challenge Ideas That Work

Gentle Touch Down

Using balloons for a soft touch down is a smart idea. This student even fills a balloon with glass craft gems, which help guide the contraption down to the ground. Pure genius! Get the project details. Photo credit: My Little Homestead
Peanut Butter Jar Success

The fourth grader who created this project had even more rules to her project. She wasn’t allowed to use parachutes, balloons, bubble wrap, or Styrofoam. So she lined the inside of an empty peanut butter jar with foam squares and placed the egg inside. She then suspended the jar in a box usingrubber bands. Get the project details. Photo credit: Living Digitally
Preschool Egg Drop Ideas

Who says this experiment is only for school aged kids? Get your preschooler’s creativity revved up with some creative ideas. Our favorite experiment: Wrapping the egg in store-bought Floam and then placing it inside a shoebox filled with crinkled paper. This project is sure to get your little ones excited about science. Photo credit: Parent Savvy
Balloon Bomb

Using hallowed out floral foam and balloons, your egg is sure to be safe. The foam helps protect the eggs, while the balloons give the package some air resistance. Bombs away! Get the project details. Photo credit: The Caffeinated Homeschoolista
Creativity Counts

When it comes to protecting the egg, you’ve got to be creative. This family even used cloth diaper inserts. Use things you have around the house to cushion the fall! Make a parachute or balloon from a trash bag to help soften the blow. Check out the video to see how it really does work. Get the project details. Photo credit: Steamsational
Record Your Results

We love these ideas mostly because of how the family recorded all of the data. The kids recorded predictions as well as the results for each of their many experiments. They figured out that packing paper, multi-wrapped bubble wrap, and a cardboard box with packing material was the best egg protection. Score! Photo credit: Parent Teach Play
Epic Fails and Epic Wins

Looking for some creative ideas to help your child’s egg drop challenge to be a success? Check out these ideas—some worked (like placing an egg in a toilet paper roll with the tube taken out); some, unfortunately, did not (like placing an egg in a bag full of marshmallows). You win some, you lose some. Get the project details. Photo credit: Homeschool Creations
#1 YouTube Video

With 27 million views, Mark Rober’s "Egg Drop Project" video is by far the most popular one on YouTube. It shows five different design ideas. Beware: Since this is the number one egg drop video, many other kids in your class may use similar designs. Get the project details. Photo credit: Mark Rober
Egg Drop Soup

Here’s an inventive idea that worked the first round but may need some extra protection if you plan on using a lot of force. Hollow out a sea sponge and place your egg inside. Then add extra cotton for more cushion and place it in a cute Chinese take-out container. Fingers crossed your egg doesn't turn into egg drop soup. Get the project details. Photo credit: Follow Greg
Try, Try, and Try Again

Sometimes in science, failing is just as important as accomplishments because it helps you understand the big question: WHY? Check out this idea as something not to do and most importantly find out why it didn’t work. Get the project details. Photo credit: Feels Like Home
Bombs Away!

There are always some failures before there are successes! That’s exactly what happened to these two projects, which used a parachute made from a coffee filter and a grocery bag. These kids had to make a few adjustments to their designs before they worked. Get the project details. Photo credit: Lemon Lime Adventures
No Break Egg

Cover a raw egg with tissue paper and bubble wrap. Then tape it together until it's secure. (Use colorful duct tape to give the project extra pizazz.) Get the project details. Photo credit: Kids Activities
Simple Egg Drop Success

Here’s an egg drop experiment video perfect for younger elementary school students. Simply stuff a box with packing peanuts, stick an egg in the middle, and let it drop. Easy peasy and totally doable. Get the project details. Photo credit: Planning Playtime
Science Is Fun

Here are some fun ideas (only one of which worked) that some older kids experimented with. Their winning idea: placing an egg inside of a hallowed out grapefruit. (We don’t recommend climbing on top of the roof, though.) Get the project details. Photo credit: BullsFan7777777
Survived a Twenty-Foot Drop

Here’s a design that withstood a twenty-foot drop. This ingenious plan has a space made specifically for the egg in a cardboard box stuffed with paper towels. Straws and rubber bands are wrapped around the box for added support. Creativity counts! Get the project details. Photo credit: MyGamingJourney_Skye