Egg Drop Lab

Explain a softer landing

Help your child distinguish slowing a fall from cushioning the landing.

🥚

Look at the package while you build it.A bigger chute, thicker padding and extra mass all change the object immediately.

Nallo’s guide for parents

Before the first test

The setup is ready. Ask your child what they expect, then start the test.

Steps

Ask your child: “Which part works before landing, and which part works at the ground?”
Start the prepared test after discussing your predictions.
Invite your child to compare the fall and the compression of the cushion.

6 m dropmedium parachute

PARACHUTEMedium

PADDING3.0 cm · medium

EXTRA MASS80 g

Build the protection, predict, then drop.Drag + energy + stopping-distance model

Make a guess

Prediction

Discuss the observation

Ask your child what changed and what stayed the same.

READYCan you manage both parts of the impact?

We report relative risk because real eggs vary in shell strength, orientation and defects.

Show the numbers

Impact speed—before padding

Impact energy—whole package

Modeled peak load—relative only

Risk band——

WHAT TO TRYRun this drop once.

Then change one thing and compare.

A closer look at this test

💡What your drop teaches

A parachute and padding do different jobs. The parachute reduces speed before impact; the padding lengthens the stopping distance.

After the first drop, change only one of them.

What the model teaches

Gravity speeds the package up. Air drag from the parachute or package slows that fall. At impact, padding matters because stopping over a larger distance reduces deceleration and peak load.

How do you protect an egg?

The parachute slows the package before landing. Soft padding gives the egg more space to stop gently.

Try it: keep the same parachute and change only the padding. A drawn crack shows high model risk, not a certain real break.

An explanation to share

How you can explain it

A parachute catches air and slows the fall. Padding squashes and gives the egg more room to stop. A slower, softer landing is gentler on the egg.

PaddingSoft material around the egg that squashes when it lands.

Away from the screen

An activity for you to guide

Gather a plastic egg or a small ball, scrap paper and a shallow tray.
Prepare two different cushions for your child to compare. Demonstrate drops close to the floor.
Keep the height the same. Compare how the cushions squash.

Explanation guide for parents

Stay with your child throughout the experiment. Read the task together, compare your predictions and start the test. Operate the controls, then discuss what changed.

Support your child’s reasoning

Ask “Which part slows the fall, and which part softens the stop?” Let your child describe what they saw before naming the forces. Start physical tests near the floor with a plastic egg or ball.

Ask: “What did you change? What did you notice? What will you try next?” A different result is a clue, not a bad score.

Screen and real life

The drawing helps you compare designs. Real eggs are different, so a green result cannot promise that a real egg will stay whole.

Use the simulation to discuss patterns. You remain responsible for choosing and supervising any physical activity; real results can differ.

A question to take it further

Would extra padding change the speed just before the egg touches the ground?

A common misunderstanding

A parachute and padding act at different stages. The drawn crack represents model risk, not a prediction that every real egg will break.

How the model works

The fall assumes a fully open parachute, constant air drag area and no sideways wind. Landing force uses a simplified crush distance and illustrative risk bands. Egg shell strength varies widely. This lab is best used comparatively: test what changes the impact speed and what changes the stopping distance.

Quick guide: s = seconds · m = metres · cm = centimetres · kg = kilograms. For weight, g means grams. In the landing or shaking results, g means acceleration compared with Earth’s gravity.

BUILD 20 · PARENT GUIDE · 29 SEP 2026