This collection of Humpty Dumpty science experiments are perfect for Early Years to fit in with a Nursery Rhyme theme or also great for older children, especially for practising designing an experiment following correct scientific procedures.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

Egg Drop Experiment

Younger children will love testing to see if their egg has broken in this super simple activity. Just place a boiled egg into ziploc bags filled with different items to cushion the fall and see which protect the egg the best.

Materials

Boiled eggs

Ziploc bags

Materials to test – cotton wool, cous cous, rice, bubble wrap.

Points to consider

What variables do you need to keep constant to make the experiment as accurate as possible?

Variables to keep constant

Height to drop the egg

Force at which to drop the egg – we used the same person to hold the bag as high as they could and then drop without using any added force. This meant the height and force should be the same for each egg.

Amount of material to test – this is a tricky one. We drew a line on the bag and filled to the same height with each material, there are some issues with this as the bubble wrap had more air gaps than the other two materials.

Placement of the egg – if the egg was on the bottom of the bag it wouldn’t be cushioned so we tried to make sure the egg was in the middle of the material we were testing.

Surface on which to drop the egg – this should be the same

Variable to change

The material used to cushion the egg.

Method

Place your material to test in a ziploc bag, add the egg and make sure it’s completely covered by the test material.

Hold the bag at the top as high as you can and drop the bag.

Check the egg for damage.

Repeat for each material, if the egg cracks use a new egg for the next test.

 

 

Extension Ideas

Can you try the experiment dropping the egg onto different surfaces or from a greater height?

What other materials could you test?

More Humpty Dumpty Science Ideas

Build Humpty Dumpty’s Wall

Can you build and test a wall for Humpty Dumpty?

Materials to test

Sugar cubes

LEGO

Sweet and candy

Method

Build a wall and test it by rolling a marble towards it.

Remember to make each wall the same size and use the same marble and amount of force behind the marble when you roll.

Can you use something to stick your wall together?

 

Can you tell the difference between a raw and boiled egg?

Hint – try spinning the eggs.

How strong is Humpty Dumpty?

Can you stick a cardboard Humpty Dumpty to a wall using different materials, for example blu tack, velcro etc and see which works the best?