BUILD A  BRIDGE 4

First, discuss what the children think an engineer does. Than,  provide some examples (fun ones of course) of what some engineers do, followed by a  project:

The class is divided into groups. A quick presentation on  the types of bridges is  given. (suspension, spanning, supported, etc.)

Then each team is given the same supplies. One copy of the local paper   24 soda cans, half a roll of masking tape,  and some string.

Each team is to construct a bridge. Each bridge must have the ends a certain distance  off of the ground (between 2 and 3 cans, so the bridge cannot rest directly on top of 2  stacked cans). The bridge must be at least 2 cans wide (narrow direction) and must be at  least 6 cans long. The bridge that holds the most weight wins.

Thanks to Lance Daily in Oregon for providing this activity idea.

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