Great Egg Drop

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Test a physical prototype under fixed material constraints and evaluate group decision-making under a time limit.

Use it when: Use during project kickoffs, design sprints, or hands-on problem-solving workshops where teams need to practice rapid planning and testing.

Skip it when: Skip when working in spaces where raw food cleanup is prohibited, when carpet cannot be protected, or when working in a remote format without mailed physical supplies.

Group arrangement: Teams of 4 to 8 participants. For 4 to 7 people, run one team. For 8 to 14, split into two teams of 4 to 7. For 15 to 24, split into three or four teams of 4 to 6.

Timing: Source recommends 30 to 45 minutes for construction; UWT standardizes the full session to 45 minutes including setup, drop tests, and debrief.

Materials and tools

• 1 raw egg per team (plus 2 to 3 spares for accidental cracks during build)
• 20 standard drinking straws per team
• 1 strip of masking tape (1 meter / approx 3 feet) per team
• 1 plastic drop tarp or plastic trash bag to cover the drop zone
• 1 tape measure or pre-measured 3-meter (10-foot) height marker
• Paper towels and disinfectant wipes for cleanup

Before participants arrive

1. Lay a plastic tarp on the floor directly beneath the drop location.
2. Measure and mark the 3-meter drop height on a wall, ladder, or balcony landing.
3. Count out kits of 20 straws, 1 meter of tape, and 1 egg per team at designated tables.

Say this to open

Welcome. Your team has 25 minutes to build a vehicle that protects a raw egg when dropped from a height of three meters onto the tarp. The egg must be securely enclosed inside your structure. You may only use the materials provided: twenty straws and this one strip of masking tape. We will test every structure at the end of the build time.

How to run it

1. Introduce challenge and distribute materials 5 minutes

   Explain the rules, show the materials, and point out the drop zone. Give each team their kit: 20 straws, 1 meter of tape, and 1 egg. State clearly that the egg must be secured within the structure and survive the fall unbroken.

2. Design and build 25 minutes

   Teams plan, test concepts, and assemble their protective casing. Warn teams when 10 minutes and 2 minutes remain. If an egg cracks accidentally during construction, issue one replacement egg and keep the timer running.

3. Drop tests and integrity checks 10 minutes

   Call time. Gather the whole room around the drop zone. One by one, teams bring their vehicle forward. A team representative or the facilitator drops the vehicle from the 3-meter mark onto the tarp. Open or inspect each vehicle immediately to verify if the egg survived without cracks.

4. Debrief 5 minutes

   Lead a whole-group discussion on design choices, constraint trade-offs, and how roles formed during construction. Take 2 to 3 observations from volunteers across different teams.

Debrief questions

• What assumptions did your team make about impact forces, and did the test confirm them?
• How did your group decide how much tape and straw to spend versus save?
• What would you redesign immediately if given another build round with the same resources?

Finished output: Tested physical prototypes and verified egg survival results across all teams.

Remote

This physical construction exercise requires hands-on material fabrication and cannot run directly in a standard video call without prior kit distribution. If running fully online, each remote participant must have the exact physical kit (20 straws, 1 meter masking tape, 1 egg, and a measured drop point) at their personal workspace, dropping simultaneously on camera.

Hybrid

Each hybrid team pairs in-person builders with a remote partner via a dedicated video device placed at their build table. Remote members serve as lead architects: they direct the construction plan, log material usage, and observe prototype angles on video. During testing, an in-person teammate carries the camera to the drop zone so remote members watch the drop and impact live.

Access and participation choices

• Participants with motor or mobility limitations can choose roles as lead designers, timekeepers, or impact evaluators rather than handling small tape strips.
• Any participant uncomfortable handling raw eggs can request a plastic zippered bag around the egg or let team members handle the egg directly.

If the session gets stuck

An egg breaks accidentally at a table during construction.

Provide a replacement egg once without penalty, remind the team to handle it gently, and do not reset the shared timer.

A team hoards tape and runs out of time before securing the egg inside the vehicle.

Give verbal countdowns at 10, 5, and 2 minutes remaining, reminding teams that an unsecured egg cannot pass the drop test.

Terms used here

• Vehicle: The protective straw-and-tape enclosure built to cradle and shield the egg during a fall.