Summer Science Camp Day #3: Bridge Building

Day three of my summer science camp for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders was a day of fun building bridges out of toothpicks and popsicle sticks. Students were giving the task of building a bridge about 25 cm in length out of toothpicks and popsicle sticks, using glue to hold them together. The goal was to build a bridge that held as much weight as possible before breaking.

We waited a day for the glue to dry and then started adding weight to the bridges. The best bridge held 18 pounds, which is pretty good for kids this age. At the high school level students are given more time to build their bridges and will usually build ones that hold more weight. Although I don't teach physics on a regular basis anymore, when I did, I routinely had bridges hold 50+ pounds. The record is 89 pounds! The catch when building a toothpick bridge for older students, is I set a maximum weight the bridge can be, adding to the difficult and really working those critical thinking skills.

This is easily an activity you can do at home. Just buy some toothpicks, popsicle sticks, and glue and you are ready to go. A five gallon bucket you hang on the bridge is perfect for adding weight until the bridge breaks.