Drop the Egg Experiment in Favor of Humane STEM Activities

In the name of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), teachers often have students participate in the “egg drop” experiment. Students attempt to engineer a contraption that can hold an egg and protect it from breaking. Once they’ve made their creation, they must test it by dropping it (along with the egg) from a high distance.

When real eggs are used in this type of project, the cruelty involved in the egg industry is glossed over. In the U.S. alone, more than 300 million hens are exploited for their eggs every year. The vast majority spend their entire lives in intensive confinement—from the moment they hatch until the day they’re killed. They never get to scratch in the grass, feel the sun on their backs, or breathe fresh air. They spend every day and night in a feces-filled warehouse reeking of ammonia—alongside the bodies of many of their dead and dying friends and family members, lying on the floor or inside a filthy cage so small that they can’t even stretch out a single wing.

Nine STEM Activities That Encourage Compassion

Try one of these humane projects instead!

Oil Spill STEM Challenge

Faux feathers should be used for this activity.

Earth Day STEM Challenge: Design a Usable Bag Made of Degradable Materials

STEM Challenge: Solar Oven

Go a step further with your students—cook up a vegan treat!

STEM Challenge: Water Pipeline

April STEM Bird Feeder

Earth Day STEM Activity: Turtle Nest Protection

Build a Birdhouse: Recycling/Earth Day STEM Activity

STEM Challenge: Build a Windmill

Game Designer: Recycling/Earth Day STEM Activity

If you must do the “egg drop” activity, try creating a replica egg using the video below:

While the “egg-drop” experiment provides only one-dimensional outcomes, the STEM activities offered above can help students practice their critical thinking skills while keeping the planet and kindness to animals in mind.

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