Learning and having fun with the Tower Challenge

CES third graders in Seth VanGaasbeek’s class took on the tower challenge!

A boy wearing a gray sweatshirt and white mask stands at his desk that has several white index cards folded in triangles to make a structure.

Each student had 14 index cards and two feet of tape to create a tower that would ultimately hold a small stuffed bear. The added challenge: build the tallest tower in the class.

A man in a blue checked shirt an light tie wearing a dark mask leans over a desk with a small stuffed bear in his hand. He is placing it on a structure made of folded index cards. A girl with a blue mask and dark hair looks at it intently.

This STEM activity really got the creative juices flowing for the students. There were many different-shaped structures. After they created their own towers, they watched a video that showed the strongest shape for the cards is a triangle; some already knew that!

A man in a blue plaid shirt and light tie, wearing a dark face mask, places a small bear on top of a tower made of folded index cards. A little girl watches intently as she sits at her desk wearing a face mask and short sleeve shirt.

In the end, all were pretty proud of the structure they produced. The students tried different methods and made changes accordingly, strengthening their towers where needed. The tallest tower that was able to hold the bear was created in Thursday’s class at a whopping 16 inches tall!

Great job by all!

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