Classroom Helmet Demos
Summary: Kids like an active demo, and we suggest four: the melon drop, egg drop, lightbulb drop and jello brain.
The Melon Drop
Looking for a dramatic demo for your next group talk to kids? So was Dr. Hal Fenner of the Snell Foundation. He has tested various melons for dropping to the floor, one in a helmet and the other bare. Hal has concluded that the best melon is a not-too-ripe honeydew. Pumpkins can be better, but finding head-sized ones is difficult.
Take your helmets to the grocery to find the right size honeydew. Shaking the melon tells you which is ripe--you can hear the seeds rattle in a ripe honeydew, so avoid the noisy ones.
Draw smiley faces, or one smiley and one pffffft face on the melons. Hold the helmeted and unhelmeted melons out to your sides, one in each hand, and tip your hands toward the audience to drop them in unison. The unhelmeted honeydew will smash. Whee. The helmet on the other melon will last for three drops, then split on the fourth one, still preventing the melon from smashing.
Hal reports that the kids are impressed, and you have their attention right away.
The Jello Brain
Only your imagination limits you in the use of the famous Jello brain mold, a mold that you fill with gray or pink jello to make a model of the brain. You can order one from Archie McPhee for $7.95 plus shipping. It comes with the recipe for making brain gelatin.
For more brain mold sources and more on the use of them, see our page on gelatin brain molds.
Light Bulb Drop
Wrap a light bulb in heavy duty kitchen plastic wrap. Secure the bottom with a rubber band. Tape the wrapped bulb into a bicycle helmet. Drop the helmet top down from above your head onto a hard, flat surface. The light bulb will not break. Now drop the light bulb without the helmet. The bulb will shatter. Do not use this helmet again for riding, although with only a light bulb inside it should last indefinitely for more demos. Be sure it is marked "demo only - not for riding." Do not use the shattered light bulb either! This demo was developed by Dane Luhrsen, founder of the now-defunct Ride Safe.
The Computer Drop
Minnesota Safe Kids Coaltion had at one time a description of a computer drop, using a useless computer and explaining after the drop that it might possibly be fixed, but it would be expensive and time-consuming. Sounds like a shocker!
Egg Drop
The Minnesota Safe Kids Coaltion site has instructions for an Egg Drop.
Egg Helmets
Since the Lexington Bicycle Safety Program (Ride and Roll Safely) folded, the only source of egg helmets we have seen is listed on this Edmonton Safe Kids page as:
MINI EGG HELMET
Sportatlas AB
Box 26
SE-334 22 Anderstorp, Sweden
Phone: +46 371 180 10
info@sportatlas.se
www.atlashelmets.com
Cost; Approx $3,75 (US)/helmet + freight/customs.
We would recommend emailing Atlas (a helmet manufacturer) to confirm that egg helmets are available from them.
This page was last revised on: February 5, 2008.
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