If the same egg is placed inside an egg carton and dropped, it’s still likely to break. But it is possible to build a container that will protect the egg. Here’s how:

1. Explain the challenge to your child. Set up a place to drop eggs. (Cover it with an old shower curtain or a big piece of plastic...just in case.)

2. Let your child make some practice drops of other items—a ping pong ball, a baseball, a rolled sock, an empty shoebox. Observe how impact affects different items.

3. Now challenge your child to use common household items to construct a drop-proof container. Let your child choose. (You may eventually suggest a shoebox, tape, and some padding.)

4. Let your child start to construct the protective package. Encourage him to try some tests before you schedule the egg drop.

5. Inform your child that as a scientist, he should think about what he’ll do if the experiment fails. Scientists often learn more from “failures” than from successes.

6. Make the actual egg drop a big occasion. Invite the whole family.

This challenge can introduce your child to the real work of a mechanical engineer.

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