Humpty Dumpty Science Ideas

This collection of Humpty Dumpty science experiments is perfect for Early Years Science to fit in with a Nursery Rhyme theme. Older children could use it for practising designing an experiment following correct scientific procedures. I've used plastic sealable bags to keep the mess contained, but children could also wrap the egg in protective materials ( not the cous cous or rice ) and use masking tape to keep it all together

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

Print the experiment instructions

Humpty Dumpty 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 sealable plastic bags filled with different items to cushion the fall and see which protects the egg the best.

Materials for Humpty's egg drop experiment

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 it 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 it 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.
• The surface on which to drop the egg - this should be the same

Variable to change

The material used to cushion the egg.

Humpty's egg drop instructions

Place your material to test in a sealable plastic 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 Humpty Dumpty Science Ideas

Can you try the experiment by 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 a Wall

Can you build and test a wall for Humpty Dumpty?

Materials to test

Sugar cubes

LEGO

Sweet and candy

How to build a wall for Humpty Dumpty

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 the 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 a boiled egg?

Hint - try spinning the eggs.

How strong is Humpty Dumpty?

Stick a cardboard Humpty Dumpty to a wall using different materials, for example, blu tack, velcro etc. and see which holds him in place most securely.

More Nursery Rhyme Activities for Kids

If Nursery Rhyme crafts are more your thing, check out this amazing selection from Red Ted Art.

Make an umbrella for Incy Wincy Spider and test to see if it keeps the spider dry.

Or how about one of my other egg experiments.

Last Updated on March 15, 2023 by Emma Vanstone