Growing a STEM Classroom

We do a STEM Challenge in our classroom every Friday afternoon!  They usually take about 40 minutes. We begin by going over the rules and the challenge question.  The students can ask any questions at this time.   This is the question...

What is the tallest structure you can make using 48 tiny glasses in  only 20 minutes?

The kids came up with some great ways to build the tallest structure!  After the 20 minutes of construction time was over, we debriefed by filling in the lab sheet and discussing the questions together.  Students use small post-it notes in order to fill in the STEM lab sheet as completely as possible as a group.  We post pictures of the challenge solutions as well as the lab sheets onto a bulletin board in our classroom.  This bulletin board changes every week!

Here are some of our solutions...

I bought 12 packs of tiny plastic (shot) glasses at the Dollar Tree for this challenge.  I placed two packs of tiny glasses in each baggie (6 total) and gave one baggie per table group.  Students also needed a tape measure at each table.  There is little set-up (other than buying the materials).  This challenge can get a little noisy as the plastic glasses hit the table and floor.

Why not try it in your classroom?  Here is the link to the challenge pack!