The following activities for grade school students were not originated by me.

 The credit goes to Stew Clem who started the Great Electronic School House International Egg-A-Thon.

Pictures are from the 1990's at Valley View Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. Teacher: Mrs. Helland

Helping the students to learn engineering, laws of physics, improve math and  writing skills, and team work.

For several years at my students participated in an international egg a thon. This involved four events.

1. Naked egg drop. 2. Bundled egg drop, 3. Art egg exchange and 4. cross country egg toss. Later we added the bungee egg.

Organization

On the internet Stew Clem explained the age levels, deadlines and rules.

Students age 8 through 15 are allowed to participate. Classes of same age level were matched.

The dead line for registration was set March 1 each.

Each teacher filled out a questionnaire.  

Real Name

Screen Name

School

Type of class  ( I put self contain 5th grade)

Number of Classes  ( I put 1)

Voice phone

e mail

Naked Egg Drop?                   yes  no

Bundled Egg Drop?                yes  no

International Egg toss             yes  no

International Art Egg Relay   yes  no

Stew Clem then notified us and gave us the dates for the International egg toss and art egg relay.

Now for the teachers part.

1.The Naked Egg Drop

Each team is given

4 grade A medium raw chicken egg.

6 sheets of 8 1/2  by 11 inch typing paper (20-22 lb).

100 cm of masking tape

From this the teams constructed a landing structure free standing. It cannot be held.

The height of the egg drop is measured from the ground to the top of their egg platform.

Any crack , fracture or chip in the egg will be considered a break

Providing the drop is successful the score  is based on this height. If none are successful the class may choose to try the event again.

If only one is successful everyone uses that score. Otherwise the class score is an average of all team scores.

The event was held on March 3, 1995.

We had the school custodian drop it from the roof. TOO HIGH. Then one student stood on a chair and drop it after the team

 measured from the hand to the top of the platform.

Post Event

1. Please describe your egg "crate"

2. what happened to the egg and "crate" when you did your drop?

3. Would you change the design of your crate next time?  How

4. Please describe the most spectacular landing of your event?

Upon completion the group wrote up a description of the platform, the outcome and if and how they would change

the platform for better success. We did have one successful team the

The Bundled Egg Drop

                                                Constructing   the bundle                                             DID IT SURVIVE?                                                                                                                    

Equipment:

grade A medium raw egg.

15 drinking straws (all same size)

15 popsicle sticks

100cm of string

one sheet of typewriter paper

5 rubber bands (all same size)

100 cm of masking tape

one scissor

stop watch

Each team is allowed 30 minutes to construct the crate.

Height of drop: 4 meters for grades 5- up (ages 11-up)(we had our school custodian drop it)

                          3 meters for grades 4-lower (10-younger)

                         multi-grade classes height is set by the teacher.

Object.

Safe landing in center of crate (doesn't break, crack).

Scoring

measure of distance from farthest edge of crate to center of the target area

A plumb line may be used when dropping the crate to the line up with target.

Team's score equal to score of the lowest ranking ream in their class.

Class score equal sum of individual  team scores/number of teams participating. Lower score better.

Post event:

1. Please describe your egg "crate"

2. what happened to the egg and "crate" when you did your drop?

3. Would you change the design of your crate next time?  How

4. Please describe the most spectacular landing of your event?

Students Wrote:

THE EAGLES

1.  Please describe your egg's "crate".   The first thing we did is wrap the egg with one sheet of paper. Then we taped the 15 popsicles  sticks together. Then we wrapped them around the egg. Then we wrapped 100 cm of string around the popsicles  stick's. Then we put some straws through the string. Last but not least we wrapped the rubber bands around the egg.

 2. What happened to the egg and "crate"?  It broke.

3.  Would you change the design of your crate next time?   Yes, Next time we will wrap a piece of paper around the egg and then put all the straws around it to protect the egg. Then tie them with rubber bands. And last but least tape the other piece of paper with 100cm of tape.

4.  Please describe the most spectacular landing of your event. It did not go to far from the target.

Egg Toss

Each class will divide into teams. Team chooses to mail via your country's Postal Service "Standard Service" - (NO SPECIAL HANDLING) one or three raw Grade A medium chicken eggs in a cardboard box of any size to another school across the country. Schools will be matched upon completion of registration The team can use any or all of the following materials to protect each egg form breakage:

a. One 8.5 x11 sheet of standard copy paper.

b. 15 drinking straws of any size.

c. 15 popsicle sticks, wooden splints, and/or tongue depressors.

d. 100 cm of string

e. 100 cm of masking tape

f. 5 rubber bands - all the same size

g. the Standard cardboard box

NO OTHER MATERIALS ARE ALLOWED. PARTS OF THE BOX AY NO BE REMOVED AND USED INSIDE AS A MATERIAL. Include inside the box the name of the school, the team participants names, and materials list.

Contestants may use a pair of scissors -no other tools. (No commercial packing materials). EACH EGG MUST BE SEALED INSIDE A SEALED PLASTIC BAG. Box should be wrapped in paper on the outside.

SCORING

Score is determined by dividing the volume of the container by the number of eggs shipped.

SCORE = (CUBIC INCHES OF PACKAGE) / (# OF UNBROKEN EGGS) -BONUS POINTS

Include a materials list inside each box to aide in scoring (Cut straws & sticks are difficult to reconstruct for scoring)

BONUS POINTS

are obtained by subtracting 1 cubic inch from the size of the box for each of the individual materials not used in the package.

For example: if you use only 9 drinking straw instead of 15 you will have 6 cubic inch subtracted from the volume of your box when calculating your score. The masking tape is scored as 1 materials (ie the same as 1 rubber band. If any tape is used, it is the same as if all 100 cm were used.) The same is true for the string. A package with NO SERVING EGGS  is given a score equal to the lowest ranking team in that class.

Final Class Score  will be the average of all team scores in the class.

A lower score is better.

Teachers of grade 4- lower and multi grade classes may choose to score this event with a score based on the number of surviving eggs divided by the number of teams. Let the Egg-meister Stew know if this is your choice.

RESULTS

Describe the condition of the Egg Toss  Boxes you received.

Box's School, Team and location

Your Team's Name:

School:

Team Score:

1.Please describe the external condition of the box.

2.Before you opened the box, did you believe the egg inside survived?

3. Did the egg survive?  Why?

4. By observing the box' condition would your suggest a way the team might improve the design of their Egg  Toss box?

Art Egg

               Packaged eggs from China                                            Team receiving decorated eggs                            Display in School Library

1. remove contents of  the raw egg. Put a pin hole at the end of each egg and  blow gently out the contents through the top of the egg into a bowl.

2. Keep the shell in tack and let it dry for a day after contents removed.

3. No restrictions applies. Children are to use their creativity. Each class makes 1 art egg for each participating online class participating.

Place each of your art eggs with a written greeting in individual boxes and mail to each Art Egg school.

Choose an egg container and mailing box that will insure no breakage on the egg's long journey. No restrictions apply to this external packing.

Results.

1. Please describe the Art egg you have received.

2.How will your class display the Art eggs that they receive.

3.How it arrived?

We exchanged with 26 schools: Australia, China, Whales, and the rest in different states of the USA. Replies were made by email.

  Students Write to Competing Schools

        Carlos to Class of Mary Gurney

                    Your two cute eggs arrived today safely. The following is Lily's description of the two eggs.

                     "Its a face and it has strings that represents the hair. The other one is with glitter hair like strings and a fake bow."

                    The Librarian has given us permission to display the eggs in the library.  

       Naomi to Laurel Hirst School

                    "The egg didn't break. It came with a lot of cool stuff. It with crayons are purple, green red, peach, light yellow, blue and dark green. It has 2 flowers in the middle, but the egg toss it beautiful. A big circle is on the since (head) of it. The egg is nice. It's bad."

  Student Evaluation of the Egg-a-Thon

Lily talks about sending her decorative egg.

    "How I wrapped my egg? Will, got white stuff and got paper and wrapped my eggs. Then I got tissue paper and wrapped my whole egg and box. I really had fun doing this because we didn't do work, and we got out of class ever 5 to 10 minutes."

Myriah: THE ART EGG TOSS

     "WHEN I DID THE ART  EGG TOSS, I BLEW ALL THE STUFF OUT OF MY EGG BY MAKING TWO HOLES IN MY EGG AND BLOWING FROM ONE HOLE. THEN I WASHED IT OUT BY RUNNING ON THE FAUCET A LITTLE BIT, AND IT CLEANS IT OUT. THEN, I PAINTED IT RED, GREEN, BLUE, PURPLE, AND ORANGE. I PUT GOD GLITTER ON IT. THEN, TWO WEEKS LATER, I PUT GREEN TISSUE PAPER  ON IT, SOME SOFT STYROFOAM AND THEN PUT IT IN A TIME BOX AND SENT IT TO SARA. THE END.

 Egg Toss by Isaias

    This is a report of how we sent our eggs to different states and countries, and also, how we wrapped them. Sept one: we gathered all things we needed. Step two: then our teacher gave us a box to put the egg in. Step three: then of course we colored the egg. Sept four: then we wrapped the egg and put it in the box. Step five: we wrapped the box. Sept six: our teacher sent it off.

Naked Egg Drop

    The best group was Italy because they put lots of computer paper then they used glue. But that's not all. They were the winners.

Naked  Egg Drop Shawone

    I though the naked egg drop was fun because we got to make a holder to put the egg in and drop from the roof. The egg that survived was the group Maine because they made the paper like a tube and rolled it up like a telescope, but the bottom was bigger. They also put a piece of paper in it they crumbled it like trash. Their egg survived and they got a treat. There was another group's egg who almost survived, but it had a little crack in it. Their holder was just like the other one but it cracked. How did we get the egg to fall? Our school janitor got up on the roof and dropped it.

Valentine  Report on Egg Drop

    What I though about the egg drop. The egg, it had eye's on it. It was weird, I liked the egg, it was good. The eyes were different colors and some were brown and blue.

    What I liked about the drop it that it was fun. All the groups had an egg. My groups naked egg broke. But only two groups did not break. My group was said, I was sad, too.

 The 2 winning groups got a prize and we didn't. Some people were mad. I wasn't made for some little reason for that. It was fun. I was happy because we did the egg drop.

Eric

    My favorite event was the naked egg drop, because it was fun. we all got together and thought about what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. We decided that we were going to make a rectangular platform and wadded up paper. We thought it might be a good idea and it was. it's just that when Gay dropped the egg, it didn't even land in the box. It landed like three centimeters away from the box. Then we moved it three centimeters away: sure it sounded  like a good idea. but, when he dropped the egg it still landed three centimeters  away. Then we  were very angry. but we still had two more tries left. We didn't want to take that chance so we did it from a lower elevation.

Richard

    What I learned was about the bundled drop and egg drop. What we did was we wrapped it with straws and popsicle sticks and rubber bands. When our egg was dropped it broke. Then we measured it. It was about 7 inches from the target.  When we open it all the yoke  fell out of the egg. It was nasty. We got point if our egg didn't break. I both of them.

Jose

    I liked the decorative egg drop because we got to see how lots of people painted their eggs. I like it a lot. It was very, very ice. I wish I could do it again next year. I like the painting especially. The one that was a vampire and lots more. The only thing I did not like was all the wrapping. I realize that because  we had to unwrap lots of things. It took at least 5 minutes to unwrap the eggs. it was not fun looking at girls and boys in my class unwrapping the eggs.

Javier

    I like the decorated egg one. It is fun because we got to paint it and we got all dirty. I like the egg I made. it was colorful. The colors were blue, green, yellow ,purple, and it had Mireya's name on it and the letters were in different colors. But, we got the eggs mixed-up and I sent off the wrong egg. So Showone repainted the egg. hat said Mireya on it. I still have not got an answer. If it is broken or not. I hope the answer come soon.

                     Javier if you read this, it was a success.  The answer arrived during summer vacation.  Yours went to Machesney School  in Rockford, IL

Lorraine-Naked Egg Drop

    I like the naked egg drop because you have to make your own thing with 15 straws and string as long as a big ruler stick and 5 rubber bands, 15 popsicle sticks and tape as long as a ruler stick, and our was funny because it looked retarded. When dropped from the roof, it broke so we lost, I think we should wrap the straws around it and then tape it on and then put the sticks around it and then put the rubber band  and then tie the strong around. I don't think it will crack because it's cushioned in the outside, but not in the inside.

Mayela

    WHEN I DID THE NAKED EGG DROP I LEARNED THAT IF YOU HAVE A GOOD BRAIN YOU COULD BUILD GOOD PLATFORMS AND THE EGG WILL NOT BREAK. I HAVE A GOOD BRAIN BECAUSE MY EGG DID NOT BREAK. I WAS THE ONE THAT HAD THE IDEA. WE GOT 4 CHANCES OF DROPPING THE EGG. THE 2 TIMES THAT WE DROPPED IT FROM THE ROOF THE EGGS BROKE BUT WHEN WE DROPPED IT FROM A CHAIR IT SURVIVED.

    I LIKE  DOING THIS BECAUSE IT WAS FUN DOING THE PLATFORMS  THAT TAKES LOTS OF BRAINS. WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE WAS THAT WE DIDN'T GET TO DROP IT FROM THE ROOF ONLY. THE CHAIR. WHAT I ALSO DIDN'T LIKE WAS THAT WE ONLY HAD 4 CHANCES. EITHER WAY IT WAS GREAT.

    OUR PLATFORM WAS A CONE WITH A PRETTY MADE OF PAPER. AT TIME WE COLD ONLY USE 1 PIECE OF TYPING PAPER. WELL THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE NAKED EGG DROP P.S. IT WAS REALLY, REALLY, FUN.

Ivette

    When I did my art egg, first I got the egg. Then I got all the yoke out of it, then I went to rinse the egg. I let it dry. I painted my egg purple with glitter. I brought a box from home. I wrapped the box with the egg inside of it. I took  it to the office and mailed it to PE. Then days passed and they sent me an egg back. They took the egg to the library and put it for display, put it on a shelf. We still keep getting more eggs.

Eddie

    I felt that naked egg drop is a good way to know it your platform is good so if your egg broke your platform is not good at all. I hope I could do the naked egg drop again if I can I will try to make a better  egg drop platform even though my egg did not break, I will still try to another one. I hope I saved my old one because if I don't like my new one, I could use the old one.

Gilbert  Eggathon

    On the egg a thon, I learned to count a little better and how to make a bundled egg.

Mireya

    We have had an egg a thon during the year. It is fun. I liked it because we got to get a chance to make something up out of your mind to construct a crate for an egg. But, what I didn't like is that every single time we did a naked egg drop, and bundled egg drop, the egg always broke.

Corina  The Naked Egg Drop

    When we did the egg drop. First before we did the egg drop we had to make a thing to drop it into. There were five  or six groups that are doing the egg drop. We made a cone shape. It was fun. we used paper, 2 popsicle sticks and tape. All of our cracked  except one. Another group cracked, but not all of them. One of them didn't crack so it was a tie. Gary had dropped them from the roof. He dropped everybody's except some. Some of them we dropped from a chair or from a group. All the other groups broke. they didn't get to win. It was still fun for everybody. I wish we did it again.

Sadie

    I like the bundled egg drop, because we had to use rubber bands, string, sticks and tape. Some of us used everything that we had to use. Today we did an egg toss and our egg almost didn't break. but it broke. I like the one that you received eggs.

Tina  May 16,1995

    I like the decorated egg toss. The one where we receive eggs, because it is fun to open them and seeing how they look and to see  if it made it safely and how they are wrapped. yesterday we got 3 packages and I opened one. It was very pretty. It was in cut that you use to drink wine in. Then it had a ribbon with a rose.

Cynthia  ay 16,1995

    The one that I like is the decorative egg. What I learned about it is that sometimes it will arrive safely if you put straws around and paper, rubber bands, popsicles stick's, then put something soft on the bottom and on the top. I am glad that Ms. Helland is letting us do this.

Erica

    Il liked sending eggs to other people. I like everything, there is nothing I did not like about the egg a thon. This is good because you could have fun and at the same time be doing work. I think that all kids around the world should participate in the egg athon every year. I've had fun doing it thus far. I hope it stays like that.

Raquita

    I like the decorative egg drop and most because all you have to do is get an egg and decorate it then send it to another school and see if it reached the school without breaking it. If it breaks you lose a point.    

Claudia  The egg drop

    What I like was that you measured it and what I didn't like was that you dropped the from the roof, but one of the groups won, because they used there wrapping over paper.

Christopher

    The egg event that  I liked most is the bundled egg drop. Including the naked egg drop. The bundled egg broke. It sounded like it crunched. We really wrapped the egg. It was smooshed. It sounded like nothing was in the bundle.

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