Structures (For Parents/Teachers)

For this we made multiple stations using different materials at each station for each of the kids to test making a bridge out of good and poor materials. At each station we used testing materials that were appropriate in weight to the materials being used. Make sure you build and test with the different materials you are using first in order to gauge the weight of the testing materials so that they are safe for the kids but will also show if the structure is strong enough to support your testing material. In the instance of the gumdrops and the toothpicks, temperature in the classroom really affects how the gumdrops work. The colder the gum drops, the better they work to support the toothpicks and testing materials. The warmer the classroom the more gummy the gumdrops become and the more your structure will collapse.