Homeschool Academy students get drop on learning

Homeschool Academy students got to test their engineering and design skills at the school's annual egg drop.

The school, part of the Lake Pend Oreille School District, is open to homeschooling families with students in grades first through eighth.

The premise of the egg drop is for students to design a mechanism to keep the "brain/skull," also known as the egg yolk and shell, from cracking, teacher Tawny MacDonald said. Students worked in groups to design and build an apparatus that would protect the egg and its contents during the Thursday, Nov. 7, egg drop.

Travis Miller of Apex Tree Services volunteered his time for a second year to take students' egg apparatuses to great heights. 

The drop started at 20 feet and continued to over 100 feet, dropping each contraption as the kids eagerly waited below, MacDonald said. 

"Students quickly checked on their eggs then got back into line for the next descent," she added. "If a student's egg broke when it hit the ground they were out and cheered on other groups."

MacDonald said The Homeschool Academy had multiple winners this year, with one group using a parachute for air resistance and another group using balloons to help with force and impact.

Winners in the group using the parachute included Zephyr, Liam, Max, and Gavin. Winners in the group using balloons included Theo, Landon, and Ronan.

"Way to go to all other participants," the teacher said.

    Travis Miller of Apex Tree Services gets ready to drop an egg-containing apparatus to see if it can protect its contents.