Egg Parachute

Have you ever thrown an egg up into the air? Chances are it will come back down and make a big mess. In this activity, kids will learn how to harness the power of physics and air resistance to make an egg parachute. 

Activity Supplies

Pantry Staples

• 3-, 7-, or 9-ounce plastic or foam cups
• 9 facial tissues
• 1 plastic garbage bag
• String (lightweight)
• 3 raw eggs
• Masking tape
• Scissors
• Measuring tape or yard stick 

Specialty Supplies

• Hole punch
• Stopwatch

Activity Steps

1. Prepare the egg cradle. Use a hole punch to make four holes in the top of each cup.
2. Take a few tissues and wad them up before putting them in the bottom of each cup.
3. Now make three different parachutes to test. Take the plastic garbage bag and cut a small, medium and large size square. The recommended sizes are: 10” x 10”, 20” x 20”, and 30” x 30” but allow kids to experiment with the sizes!
4. For each parachute cut four equal lengths of string (you will need 12 total). Tie apiece of string to each corner of the plastic garbage bag square, then attach the four loose ends of the strings to each cup, matching the parachute corners to the same corner on the cup.
5. Mark each cup with an A (10” x 10”), B (20” x 20”), and C (30” x 30”) to keep track of how the different parachutes perform.
6. Place one egg in each cup, on top of the balled-up tissues, using masking tape to keep the egg in place. Then add a few more crumpled tissues and put masking tape across the top of each cup.
7. Predict which egg has the best chance of surviving a fall from 10–12 feet.
8. Test each parachute by dropping it (unfurled) as you hold it from the top center of the parachute. Time each flight and record your results. Note: If any eggs break on the landing, encourage kids to make changes to the design to prevent any breaks the next time they try.

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