"Oh man, our tower was, like 30 cm tall, and then we saw one leg buckling, and we knew it was over. The whole thing crashed. We gotta rebuild, but I have another idea!"
And, by the way, when I inquired about the new idea I was told that they noticed the buckling tower leg and knew those sections needed to be built differently. Folks, this is what it means to learn from your mistakes! And that is just one of the reasons this the best ever challenge? Keep reading!
This is the Best STEM Challenge for Grades 3-5 for many reasons!
Here's a quick look:- Materials are easy to gather, easy to prepare, and inexpensive.
- Students use a blueprint for construction.
- Problem-solving is intense as the precarious structures are built. (Which results in learning!)
- Kids and teachers love this challenge.
Materials are easy-peasy!
There are only two materials used in this challenge. Each group is supposed to get a specific number of each, but I learned a long time ago that counting out endless amounts of tiny things for multiple classes is for the birds! Trust me, it is okay to scoop the supplies into cups and give each team a cup full. The photos above show the kids with their cups of materials!
You might have a student that will sit and count these and ask for additional ones, but this rarely happens with me. If someone does run out of either material I just give them a little more. That also rarely happens.
Can you use a blueprint?
I always have students sketch their ideas before beginning construction. They automatically do this. I have found, however, that groups rarely stick to the blueprint. As structures are being built kids will quickly alter plans to fix problems that happen. With this challenge, I changed one of the rules!
The rule change simply said,
"Draw a blueprint of your tower and you must use the blueprint for the construction. Improving will take place later."
So, could they do this? Scroll back and look at the above photos! Yes, they can do it! Their towers match the blueprints very well! I might also add that my students loved the blueprint requirement!
Improve Student Learning with STEM
Above you can see a team that added some legs to the front of their tower in the improving step of the engineering design process. Did this help? Was the problem solved?
Why Students (and Teachers) Love This Challenge
Students still have the same problems with the towers leaning and materials being precarious to use, but play dough and marshmallows add different elements.
- Marshmallows are sticky and very soft. They tend to work immediately, but will begin to allow the structure to sag- slowly.
- Modeling dough is heavy! This makes the tower collapse easily.
Are you convinced? It's the perfect challenge to use as the first one you ever try! The materials can be varied slightly to produce different results. It can be used it with many ages. It's inexpensive. It's fun!
Best challenge ever!
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