The classic egg drop experiment is a favorite STEM activity in our house, and one we’ve done many times.
While we’ve tried several fun twists on the classic egg drop experiment, this time, we decided to see if we could make our eggs look like turkeys.
The turkey egg drop project with popsicle sticks was a hit, and just the thing to try on Thanksgiving day with the kiddos, or in the classroom in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
It’s a really fun twist on Thanksgiving STEM activities that you can do year after year!
Save the Turkeys: Turkey STEM Activity
Turns out, when you personify an egg, children are a lot more motivated to protect it!
The kids did not want our little turkeys to die, so they were extra creative in their preparations to save the turkey from his descent to the ground.
Find more fun Thanksgiving STEM activities here!
Egg Drop Project STEM Extensions
When you do this egg drop activity, particularly this popsicle stick egg drop version, there are some fun STEM extensions to include!
Here’s what to include for science:
Talk about the environmental impact of packing materials and ways to reduce waste and climate change with packaging choices.
What is the most environmentally-friendly way to protect their eggs?
Here’s what to include for technology:
Discuss the technology used in package production and how engineers identify the best materials to use for packaging. How has packaging changed as technology has advanced?
Here’s what to include for engineering:
Try to create the design that best protects the eggs. Consider how you could product your egg turkeys from other sorts of distress in addition to just dropped force.
Here’s what to include for math:
For math, try identifying any patterns or corolations between how fast the egg is dropped and whether it breaks.
Can you slow the speed of the objects fall by introducing drag?
Discuss the mathematical concept for drag and how it is found for a particular object.
How to Do the Egg Drop Project with Popsicle Sticks:
Use what you have in the classroom or at home to create a cocoon for your turkey that will keep it from breaking!
What you will need for the popsicle stick egg drop:
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- Raw eggs
- Various building materials (plastic baggies, popsicle sticks, aluminum foil, etc)
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Popsicle Stick Egg Drop Design
Follow these directions to make your own egg drop turkey experiment!
Build the Turkey
First, build your turkeys. Let the eggs sit out at room temperature until they stop sweating. Glue on a waddle, beak, googly eyes, and feathers.
Get as creative as you like here- they are your turkeys!
Protect the Turkey
Use the materials at hand to protect the turkey from its fall. We used ziplock baggies to hold everything in place in case things got messy.
My kids each tried a different design.
Monkey built an elaborate cage for her egg, while Bo just sort of wrapped the egg in a variety of materials including aluminum foil and cotton balls.
Test the Design
Drop the bags from a high area (we chose a tree).
Open the bags and inspect the turkeys. Are they safe from the fall?
When dropped onto dirt, our turkeys were perfectly safe.
But when dropped on rocks, they both cracked.
Test your designs from various heights and on various surfaces to see how well they hold up.
More Thanksgiving STEM Activities
Simple Thanksgiving Science Experiments for the Elementary Classroom
Thanksgiving Engineering Activities for Elementary