Elementary Students Test Their “Egg Drop” Designs

Mendham Township, NEW JERSEY (March 14, 2022) – What is a makerspace lab? According to Mr. Charles Gallo, Mendham Township Elementary School (MTES) Teacher for Technology/Makerspace, a makerspace lab creates a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials. During the first two weeks of March 2022, third- and fourth-grade MTES students, working in teams, have been challenged to design and build an egg drop device that would protect a raw egg from breaking during a 15-foot fall.

The activity included a reiterative process of researching, building, and testing possible solutions before agreeing as a team on the final design. Students could select from a variety of materials available within the workroom, with the same materials being available to all students. Mr. Gallo specified a size limitation for a permissible design, but otherwise, the students were free to use their imagination, team collaboration skills, and current knowledge skills to develop their prototypes.
Without directly mentioning the theories of air resistance or gravity these elementary students launched themselves into a test and design mode to develop a perfect egg drop device. Communications and collaboration played a large part in the development and progress of each team’s submission. The teams made observations, discussed the advantages and defects of their prototypes, and finally drew conclusions on how best to design an optimum-performing device during the iterative process of testing. The students waited with bated breath as their teacher dropped their final design device, with its uncooked egg cargo, from a height of 15 feet. For every successful drop, there were squeals of delight; for any less than lucky descent, it was still a learning experience with ideas for improvement. Handmade parachutes crafted from shopping plastic bags worked well for increasing surface area and drag, which counteracted the effect of gravity. Light cushioning such as cardboard or felt were preferred over rigid structures such as wood. Scissors were practical, but who knew a single hole paper puncher could be so useful? During an informal debriefing of the results, Mr. Gallo begins to pull all the pieces of the lesson together for the students and introduce theories and their applications while the students are hardly realizing they are absorbing scientific theory.
Mr. Gallo likes to create in-class experiences for students that can serve as an extension of their everyday learning experiences. “My goal is that the critical thinking skills applied in the makerspace lab will allow students to use engineering, design, and even programming skills as a means to problem-solving and creative expression inside and outside the classroom, both now and in the future.”
Advancement in technology, well-equipped laboratories, STEM classroom space, security, and safety are priorities for families sending their children to the Mendham Township School District. Indeed, voters recently approved a $19.9 million bond referendum in support of the Mendham Township School District. The funding from this bond provides the district with the resources to move forward with its plan to update the district's two schools with enhanced safety and security features, critical maintenance, and STEM instructional spaces. Dr. Salvatore Constantino, Superintendent of Schools in Mendham Township, affirmed the district’s plans for expansion and improvement saying, “We are blessed to have the most talented group of teachers and staff working to create amazing learning opportunities for our students. Mr. Gallo engages the students in creative problem solving and collaborative, project-based learning that inspires and challenges every student. The future of this program is bright, as we will soon have future-ready space to grow and expand makerspace. Mr. Gallo embodies our mission of inspiring every student, every day.”