By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Ayva Silva, 9, of Hays slowly climbed to the top of a ladder holding a styrofoam cup wrapped in multiple layers of blue and black tape and toilet paper. Inside, buried in a nest of mini marshmallows, was a single raw egg.
When she reached the top of the 6-foot ladder, she raised her arm and dropped the cargo. It hit the floor with a thud.

After about 15 minutes of ripping tape and cutting away the padding, Silva reached into the innards of her vessel and triumphantly produced her intact egg.
About a dozen teens attempted the alien egg drop challenge at the Hays Public Library on Tuesday afternoon. This summer’s reading program theme is space, so the kids were given markers and googly eyes to decorate their “alien eggs.”
Some of the kids were not as lucky as Ayva. They peeled away the layers of their vessels and were greeted with the gooey messes of broken eggs.
The event is one of many that have been part of the summer young adult program at the library.
Sarah Doyle, young adult coordinator, said the library offers STEM activities like the egg drop challenge, as well as arts and crafts, games, and movies. The young adult department is also trying to introduce more life skills activities into the programming, such as cooking classes.
“This is definitely a STEM program,” she said of the egg drop. “We are looking at doing some critical thinking, figuring out works best and following scientific procedure just to see what they can come up with in their creative minds to keep the egg from breaking when it hits the ground.”
The children used cardboard, fabric, styrofoam cups, cotton balls, marshmallows, tape, straws and other items to create their egg carriers.
“We like to experiment with different things, whether it is usual or not, give them some ideas and let them run with it,” Doyle said.
The young adult program is usually geared toward youth 12 to 18. However, if there are enough materials available, the library allows preteens to join the group as Doyle did on Tuesday.
Blake Fabin, 12, of Phillipsburg said his favorite program this summer was a visit from the FHSU Maker Van during which the kids made bridges.
Mylissa Molnar, 13, of Hays said she comes to the library almost daily to participate in the youth programs. Her egg vessel included a cage made out of plastic straws, a paper bowl and a bed of cotton balls.
Once school starts, the young adult programs will be daily at 3:45 p.m. Mondays through Fridays on the second floor of the library. Most programs last an hour with the exception of movies and game nights, which will go longer. The activities are free.

