Updated: June 17, 2022
By Jessica Mellon , and Christine Allred
4-H and UME Publication Header

EC-14  |  June 2022

4-H STEM Adventures: Challenge 2-Tall Tower

YOUTH WILL BUILD A PAPER TOWER AS TALL AS THEY ARE

GUIDED VS. EXPLORATORY APPROACH

Adult facilitators have the option of choosing either exploratory or guided approaches to each challenge. Both approaches have pros and cons. Choose the approach that best suits the youth with whom you are working.

EXPLORATORY

EXPLORATORY APPROACH

Encourages creativity and deductive reasoning, lacks structure, takes more time, and risks frustration for the youth. Generally best for out-of-school-time settings, large blocks of time, and youth ages 11 to 13.

Icon of a carboard box

MATERIALS

Paper and tape.
Outline of an open book

VOCABULARY

CONSTRAINT: CONSTRAINT means “a limitation”. For this project, the CONSTRAINT is the materials you may use to build your tower. You may only use paper and tape.
4-H Life Skills Icon

4-H LIFE SKILL

PROBLEM SOLVING: As you build the tower, you will encounter multiple problems. Figuring out a solution to each difficulty will help you to achieve your goal.

DO

YOUTH COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY

Watch the Challenge
 


Design and build a tower as tall as you using only paper and tape.

You may consider shaping your paper into cylinders or triangles to make the columns, and using the paper as platforms or supports for the levels of your tower.

GUIDED

GUIDED APPROACH

Provides structure, promotes good instruction-following habits, increases rate of success, and limits creative solutions. Generally best for classroom settings, finite blocks of time, and youth ages 8 to 10.

Icon of a carboard box

MATERIALS

Paper and tape.
Outline of an open book

VOCABULARY

CONSTRAINT: CONSTRAINT means “a limitation”. For this project, the CONSTRAINT is the materials you may use to build your tower. You may only use paper and tape.
4-H Life Skills Icon

4-H LIFE SKILL

PROBLEM SOLVING: As you build the tower, you will encounter multiple problems. Figuring out a solution to each difficulty will help you to achieve your goal.

DO

YOUTH COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY

Watch the Challenge then follow steps one through five.
 

 

STEP 1. IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

Design and build a tower as tall as you are using only paper and tape.

STEP 2. IMAGINE SOLUTIONS

Think about all of the possible ways you can make your tower. Do towers go straight up or do they have multiple levels and supports? How can you roll or fold paper so it can stand up?

STEP 3. PLAN POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Roll paper into cylinders and secure with tape. Does this seem like a good support for your tower? Can you fold paper in half to make different levels? Sketch out your design.

STEP 4. CREATE YOUR PAPER TOWER

  1. Roll 4 pieces of paper and tape the edges to make cylinders. Stand them up next to each other.
  2. Fold a sheet of paper in half and lay it across the top of the cylinders to complete the level. Tape it to the cylinders.
  3. Roll 4 more pieces and tape them standing up on the story, and add a half sheet on top to complete the level.
  4. Repeat until it is as tall as you or as tall as you would like.

STEP 5. IMPROVE YOUR DESIGN

Look at your tower. Is it standing straight without falling over? Do you need to change anything to make your tower stand taller?

You can go back to Step 1, and start the process again to make the changes for your next iteration to improve your tower.

REFLECT

GUIDE YOUTH THROUGH THE REFLECTION PROCESS

See a solution here
 


Was this challenge harder or easier than you predicted it to be?

What problems did you encounter while constructing your tower? How did you SOLVE each one?

What other materials would you have used if you were not limited by the materials CONSTRAINT?

APPLY

CHALLENGE THE YOUTH TO APPLY WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED TO OTHER PARTS OF THEIR LIVES

What might be examples of CONSTRAINTS that engineers face while working on their projects?

Why are CONSTRAINTS important?

Share a time in your life when you used PROBLEM SOLVING to overcome an obstacle.

REFERENCES

  • D’Augustino, T. D. (2016, March 16). 4-H family engineering night engages youth in science. Michigan State University. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/4_h_family_engineering_night_engages_youth_in_science
     
  • Donelly, G. (n.d.). Make it! DIY: home engineering. Kid Museum. https://kid-museum.org/make-it/home-engineering/

Download Challenge 2: Tall Tower Curriculum (PDF)

4-H STEM Adventures: Facilitator Guide

  • Home Page

  • Challenge 1: Marble Maze

  • Challenge 3: Catapult

  • Challenge 4: Marble Roller Coaster

  • Challenge 5: Mini Golf Course

  • Challenge 6: Mobile

JESSICA MELLON
jmellon2@umd.edu

CHRISTINE ALLRED
cmallred@umd.edu

Challenge 2: Tall Tower is a supporting document from the 4-H STEM Adventures-Facilitator Guide (EC-14) and is part of a collection produced by the University of Maryland Extension within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The information presented has met UME peer-review standards, including internal and external technical review. For help accessing this or any UME publication contact: itaccessibility@umd.edu

For more information on this and other topics, visit the University of Maryland Extension website at extension.umd.edu

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