STEAM Activity: Plastic Egg Parachute

Plastic eggs are soon to be filled with goodies as Easter approaches here in the States, and if you're like me, you wonder what you can do with all the leftover plastic eggs. Last year, Jack and I reused our plastics eggs as a counting game; see our video here. This year we're covering the art and engineering part of STEAM by remaking our plastic eggs into parachutes. Read on for how to do this eggcellent (yep, I went there) STEAM project!

You'll Need

Plastic Eggs

Pipe Cleaners

Index Cards/Card Stock

Instructions

1) Take the bottom half of the plastic egg and wind one end of a pipe cleaner through the hole on the bottom of the egg.

2) Wind another pipe cleaner through the other hole on the bottom of the egg.

3) Punch two holes in the index card and wind the other ends of the pipe cleaners through the holes in the index card.

4) Drop the egg parachute and watch it float to the ground. You may need crease the index card, making it more convex.

In engineering, there is usually more than one way to design something, so how would you make a parachute for the plastic egg? Tissue paper? Coffee filter? Popsicle sticks? String? Show us your variations in the comments below, and happy STEM-ing readers!