Looking for an engaging way to approach teaching Grade 6 Flight in science? The Egg Drop STEAM Challenge is a student-favourite activity that brings flight concepts to life through hands-on learning. This exciting challenge encourages students to experiment with forces of flight—lift, weight, thrust, and drag—while designing a device to protect an egg from breaking during a drop. In this blog, we’ll walk through how to use the Egg Drop Challenge to teach key flight principles!
Why Use the Egg Drop Challenge for Teaching Grade 6 Flight?
The Egg Drop Challenge is an excellent way to help students grasp the fundamental forces of flight through real-world application.
Here’s why it’s so effective:
- Hands-on Learning – Students design, build, and test their own contraptions, reinforcing engineering and scientific principles.
- Encourages Critical Thinking – Students must plan, hypothesize, and refine their designs based on the outcomes.
- STEAM Integration – Combines science, technology, engineering, art, and math for a well-rounded learning experience.
- Collaboration & Problem-Solving – Students work in teams, promoting discussion, communication, and teamwork.
This challenge is an exciting way to help students understand flight principles in a way that is interactive, memorable, and fun!
How to Run the Egg Drop STEAM Challenge in Your Classroom
Step 1: Introduce the Inquiry Question
Start your lesson by posing an inquiry-based question to spark curiosity. Display this question on the board:
Encourage students to brainstorm ideas and discuss ways flight can be altered, using examples like birds, aeroplanes, and parachutes.
Step 2: Discuss the Four Forces of Flight
Before students begin designing, introduce or review the four forces of flight:
- Lift – Keeps an object in the air
- Weight (Gravity) – Pulls objects toward the ground
- Thrust – Moves an object forward
- Drag – Slows an object down
Use visuals or videos to demonstrate how these forces interact with different objects in flight.
Step 3: Design & Build the Egg Drop Device
- Divide students into small groups.
- Provide each group with the Egg Drop Design Sheet (included in our Ignited Lessons Club!).
- Allow 10 minutes for brainstorming and sketching designs.
- Provide 20 minutes for construction, using approved materials such as:
- Plastic bags (for parachutes)
- String
- Tape
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Coffee filters
🚫 Restricted materials: No pre-made cushioning (like egg cartons, foam, or bubble wrap) to encourage creative problem-solving.
Step 4: Conduct the Egg Drop
- Find a high drop point (stairwell, balcony, or a safe elevated area).
- Have the teacher drop each team’s egg device to ensure fairness.
- Students should observe and record their results using the Egg Drop Observation Sheet.
Step 5: Reflect & Discuss
- Review each group’s design: What worked? What didn’t?
- Discuss which forces of flight were at play.
- Encourage students to reflect on how they could improve their designs.
Cross-Curricular Benefits of the Egg Drop Challenge
The Egg Drop Challenge isn’t just a science experiment—it’s a cross-curricular learning experience that integrates multiple subjects:
🧪 Science: Understanding flight, forces, and engineering principles
📏 Math: Measuring materials, angles, and data collection
🎨 Art: Designing creative and effective egg-protection devices
💡 Technology & Engineering: Applying problem-solving and design thinking skills
🗣 Language Arts: Explaining reasoning and presenting findings
Get the Full Egg Drop Lesson Plan in the Ignited Lessons Club!
Want a done-for-you version of this lesson, complete with student worksheets, observation sheets, and assessments? The Ignited Lessons Club offers a full Egg Drop Challenge lesson plan, along with many other resources for teaching Grade 6 Flight!
💡 Join the Ignited Lessons Club today and get instant access to this lesson and more! Click here to learn more.
Final Thoughts on Teaching Grade 6 Flight
The Egg Drop STEAM Challenge is an engaging and effective way for teaching Grade 6 Flight while encouraging students to think critically, collaborate, and experiment with real-world scientific concepts. Give it a try in your classroom, and watch your students get excited about learning!
Ready to take the guesswork out of lesson planning? Join the Ignited Lessons Club today and access ready-made science and social studies lessons that make teaching easier!