Build a Tower
Materials
One pound of spaghetti (uncooked), 10 oz. bag of miniature marshmallows, box of paper clips or other light weight item, ruler or tape measure, paper for drawing designs
Procedure
Set the stage: students are architects and engineers who must use the materials at hand, spaghetti and marshmallows, to design and build a tall tower that can support the weight of a box of paper clips.
Allow students to talk about things they need to consider before building their structure.
Divide the students into teams. Allow 10 minutes to plan, 20 minutes to build, and 10 minutes to test.
Invite students to talk about the ideas they thought of and the process they followed while designing and building the tower.
Notes: Use play money and give each team a budget of $10,000. Affix a monetary value to the materials needed: $100 per piece of spaghetti; $75 per marshmallow. Challenge students to build their towers within the fixed budget.
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