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Architects Challenge

Week of March 30, 2020
What is a Lab 11235 Design Challenge?

Design challenges are a week long for all ages to experiment and come up with their own solutions to a real world problem. This means hands off mom and dad! A parent’s role is to guide and ask thought-provoking questions without providing a direct solution.

With your parents’ permission,
Post your Challenge Videos and Photos to Instagram with hashtags
#lab11235Challenge
 
Monday – To New Heights

Make a straw tower taller than yourself! How high can you go? Post your photo!

Tuesday – Food Storage

Can you build a tower (about waist height) that holds three cans of food? Use as little material as possible. How many cans of food can it hold before it falls?

Wednesday – A Bridge too far

Build a straw bridge between your couch and coffee table! Test and try again!

Thursday – Hot Wheels Load test

Your hot wheels need to cross your bridge. Reinvent your bridge so your cars can pass! How many cars does your bridge hold before it falls?

Friday – The last straw

Make the longest straw in the world! Place a cup of water in the kitchen, sit down in the living room and have a drink! Make sure to take a photo!

Take Notes:
  • How many straws did you use?
  • What kinds of shapes are stronger?
  • How tall or long did is your structure? Measure with a ruler.
  • How much tape was used?
  • What changes did you make to the structure and what did you observe?
Research

https://www.soinc.org/sites/default/files/StrawTowerChallenge.pdf

https://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Straw-Bridge

Material

50 Straws, Scotch Tape, Canned Food, Hot Wheels cars

Take it to the next level

Continue the challenge, and learn much more by doing. Check out our After School Discovery Program. We pick up and drop off too.
  • Test your building on an earthquake table
  • Create a bridge with no glue, tape, nails, or screws
  • Make a full scale igloo

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Architect’s Challenge