Goal

Students work with time and material constraints to build the tallest free-standing structure as a team.

Prep Time (~30 minutes)

Assemble one gallon storage bag per team with the following items: 50-75 un-inflated balloons, 1 pair of scissors, and 1 roll of clear packing tape.

Materials

• 1 gallon storage bag per team
• 50-75 balloons per team
• 1 pair of scissors per team
• 1 roll of clear packing tape per team
• Stopwatch
• Tape Measure

Procedure

1. Divide students into teams.
2. Once all teams ahve been assigned and provided materials, introduce the challenge and start the timer allowing teams to build. Each team must design the tallest free-standing structure made entirely from balloons and tape. The base of the structure may be taped to the ground but no other parts of the structure may be taped to the walls, furniture, students, etc.
3. Announce when 10 minutes and 5 minutes of build time remain. At the end of 20 minutes, measure each structure and announce the winner. Other awards might go tot he most creative design or best teamwork.
4. Providing students time to reflect on their work before trying a second (or third or fourth) iteration is important. Students will learn from within their group and from other groups.

Balloon tower building-in-progress

Balloon tower building-in-progress