parachutes are the best

Here's a lesson that did work, that everyone did sometime in public school:

Build something to protect an egg. Drop it from 4 stories. The lightest contraption wins.

I was rooting for this one. It was complete with streamers. But it broke.
This one just thudded on the ground. Crack.
A great one.
This was the winner. Parachute with a pyramid to cushion it.

You really have to use a parachute to win, if the contest is a straight drop. Padding just doesn't cut it, not for the weight at least.