To celebrate the end of the Term 1, the children in Science Club have been learning about the laws of motion and gravity using a fun (if a little nerve-racking) egg-dropping experiment.
The small but mighty scientists spent the past two weeks in small groups designing and engineering a contraption that would prevent an egg from breaking when dropped from a high place.
On the day of the egg drop the students couldn’t wait to put their apparatus to the test, with many hardly able to contain their excitement as they entered the classroom.
But before the fun could begin the club’s facilitator, IGS Alum and prac teacher Pepita Iocco-Catt (2016), took the opportunity to remind students about the purpose of the exercise, and that trial and error is an essential and inescapable part of scientific research.
“If your egg breaks, it doesn’t mean you have failed.
“As scientists, we must observe, measure, hypothesise, and then test. Of course, that hypothesis is sometimes wrong. And when it is, scientists go back, observe more, get new measurements, come up with a new hypothesis, and test again and again.”
Armed with this attitude of courage and curiosity each group took turns dropping their eggs, with impressive results.
Only three of the nine groups’ eggs cracked, thanks to their cleverly designed contraptions that used everything from sponges to cushion the fall, to balloons and cellophane that acted as parachutes, slowing down each egg’s descent.
When the students looked inside the cup and found an intact egg after the drop, the entire classroom erupted in cheers.
“I am really proud of all of the students, not only for their work today but for their mature attitudes and how they have worked all term,” said Pepita.
When asked why she enjoyed Science Club Year 3 student Ivy put it best saying, “It’s fun! We get to make things, learn new things and be creative.”
A truly egg-cellent endorsement!