Tower Titans Slides
TEAM CHALLENGE 01
FORCES & TEAMWORK
First-Week Team Activity
TOWER TITANS
Work together to build a strong stick tower. No tape! No glue! Can your team beat gravity?
Activity Link
Push & Pull Forces
Time
45-60 Minutes
FUN SCIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
STEP 1: THE GOAL
SLIDE 02/06
Build a Tall, Strong Tower
Your team must build a tower that stands on its own. It must hold a paper plate platform at least 10 cm (4 inches) high.
The tower must be strong enough to hold a weight on top of the plate for 10 seconds without falling down!
The Hardest Rule:
NO tape, NO glue, and NO sticky stuff. Use pipe cleaners to tie things together!
1
Stands Alone
You cannot hold the tower with your hands during the test. No taping it to the table.
2
Holds Weight
The weight sits on the top plate. The plate must stay flat and steady.
TOWER TITANS CHALLENGE SIMPLE PHYSICS FOR KIDS
STEP 2: YOUR SUPPLIES
SLIDE 03/06
Building Kits
- 1 Paper Plate (Top Deck) Qty: 1
- 20 Big Sticks (Popsicle size) Qty: 20
- 20 Toothpicks (Small sticks) Qty: 20
- 15 Pipe Cleaners (Tying ropes) Qty: 15
COUNT ALL YOUR PIECES BEFORE YOU START!
Strict Game Rules
[X]
No Glue or Tape
Use only the pipe cleaners to connect and tie your wooden sticks.
[X]
No Table Anchors
Do not tape your tower to the table top. It has to stand on its own feet.
[X]
Be Gentle
Do not break, rip, or cut your sticks or plates. We need to reuse them.
FOLLOW ALL RULES TO PASS THE FINAL TEST!
TOWER TITANS CHALLENGE SIMPLE PHYSICS FOR KIDS
STEP 3: HOW FORCES WORK
SLIDE 04/06
The Push Force
This is Compression! Gravity pushes down on the tower. The big wooden sticks act as legs to resist the push force.
Tip: Make sure the legs stand straight up to take the weight.
The Pull Force
This is Tension! The sticks try to slide apart under weight. Pipe cleaners hold them tight with a pull force!
Tip: Wrap pipe cleaners very tightly around the joints.
Triangle Power
Square shapes slide and wobble when pushed. But triangles lock together. They never lose their shape or bend!
Tip: Connect sticks to build triangles in your frame!
TOWER TITANS CHALLENGE SIMPLE PHYSICS FOR KIDS
STEP 4: TEAM JOBS
SLIDE 05/06
Choose Your Team Job
Team Captain
Watches the time, encourages everyone, and helps make choices.
Lead Builder
Leads the drawings and guides how to build the tower pieces.
Supply Master
Organizes, counts, and hands out the sticks and ties.
Safety Checker
Measures the height, tests balance, and runs checks.
EVERYONE HELPS BUILD! SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
Our Roadmap
05 Min
Pick Jobs & Plan
20 Min
Build Your Tower!
10 Min
Testing Day Trials
05 Min
Clean up & Talk
BE KIND, HAVE FUN, AND STAY ACTIVE!
TOWER TITANS CHALLENGE SIMPLE PHYSICS FOR KIDS
STEP 5: THE FINAL TEST
SLIDE 06/06
Testing Steps
- 1 Bring your tower to the classroom testing table.
- 2 We check the height with a ruler. It must be ≥ 10 cm high.
- 3 Slowly place your load on the paper plate platform. Hands off!
- 4 Let's count aloud down from 10 to see if it stands strong!
WOBBLES ARE JUST DATA TO HELP US IMPROVE!
Team Discussion
Fill out your worksheet together and talk about these questions:
- Give a big shout-out to a teammate who helped you!
- Where did your tower bend or break? How can you fix it?
- How did having separate jobs help your team build faster?
CONGRATS, BUILDERS!
TOWER TITANS CHALLENGE SIMPLE PHYSICS FOR KIDS
Tower Titans Blueprint Handout
ACTIVITY CARD
TOWER TITANS: TEAM BLUEPRINT
GROUP: ______
DATE: ____________
My Name:
Team Captain:
Lead Builder:
Supply Master:
1. THE CHALLENGE RULES
Build a tall, strong stick tower that stands on its own. The paper plate on top must be at least 10 cm (4 inches) high. The tower must hold a class weight for 10 seconds without falling or sliding!
STRICT RULES:
No glue, tape, or sticky clay
No hands holding the tower
YOUR SUPPLIES:
1 Paper Plate, 20 Big Sticks, 20 Small Sticks, 15 Pipe Cleaners
2. OUR TOWER DRAWING (PLAN BEFORE BUILDING)
DRAW YOUR SIDE VIEW BELOW
MY TOWER PLAN (SIDE VIEW)
3. OUR PLAN FOR STRENGTH
A. Standing Tall (Push Force): How will you position your big legs so the heavy plate won't crush them down?
B. Triangle Power (No Wobbles): Where will you connect pipe cleaners to build secure triangles in your frame?
TOWER TITANS ACTIVITY PACK PAGE 1 OF 2
TEST DATA
TOWER TITANS: TEST RESULTS
GROUP: ______
STATUS: TESTING
4. OUR SUPPLY COUNT (HOW MANY DID YOU USE?)
| Building Supplies | Group Limit | Number Used | Left Over |
|---|
| Paper Plate (Top Platform) | 1 | ______ | ______ |
| Big Wooden Sticks | 20 | ______ | ______ |
| Small Wooden Sticks | 20 | ______ | ______ |
| Pipe Cleaners (Tying ropes) | 15 | ______ | ______ |
5. OUR TOWER TEST RESULTS
A. Tower Height
_________ cm
(Goal: at least 10 cm)
B. Weight Placed
_________ g
(Item we used)
C. Time Standing
_________ sec
(Goal: hold 10 seconds)
WHY DID THE TOWER TIP OR FAIL? (Check all that happened):
Sticks Bent/Bowed Joint Slipped Plate Tilted Whole Tower Wobbled
6. TEAM SUCCESS TALK (DISCUSS WITH YOUR GROUP)
A. Working Together as a Crew
How did your team make decisions? Did having specific jobs (like Team Captain) help your group stay organized?
Tower Titans Station Cards
TOWER TITANS: STATION CARDS
KIT: TOWER-STATIONS-01
A
Station ALPHA
PLANNING & TEAM JOBS
WHAT TO DO AT THIS SECTOR:
1. Pick Team Jobs
Every group member must choose a job badge from Page 2. Write your names on Page 1 of the handout!
2. Draw Your Design
Draw a side-view sketch of your proposed tower on Page 1 before grabbing building supplies.
Physics Hint: Wooden sticks stand up strong against the Push force. Tie them with pipe cleaners to resist the Pull force. Triangles prevent wobbles!
CUT HERE TO SEPARATE STATION CARDS
B
Station BETA
THE BUILDING ZONE
WHAT TO DO AT THIS SECTOR:
1. Count Your Supplies
Verify your inventory limit: 1 plate, 20 big sticks, 20 toothpicks, and 15 pipe cleaners. Keep things neat!
2. No Tape or Glue!
Build your tower using only pipe cleaners as ties. Connect the joints tightly so they do not slide.
Physics Hint: Wrap pipe cleaners tightly around sticks. High friction stops the joints from sliding! Make a wide base so your tower won't tip over.
TOWER TITANS STATION PACK PAGE 1 OF 2
C
Station GAMMA
THE TESTING TABLE
1. Height Check We measure with a ruler. Your tower platform must be ≥ 10 cm high.
2. Weight Test Place your weight on the plate. Hands completely off the structure!
3. 10-Sec Count Count down aloud as a class. Write your results on Page 2!
D
Station DELTA
TEAM REFLECTION
1. Team Discussion Talk about your design and write answers for Questions A, B, and C on Page 2.
2. Clean-Up Mission Carefully untie all sticks. Count your supplies and put them away neatly!
CUT ROLES SEPARATELY FOR STUDENTS
Job A // TEAMWORK
Team Captain
Watches building time. Keeps everyone positive and encourages team members. Helps make final group choices.
PACING & TEAM COOPERATION
Job B // BLUEPRINT
Design Architect
Leads the schematic drawings on the student blueprint. Guides building ideas and ensures the tower has strong triangles.
BLUEPRINT DESIGN & TRIANGLES
Job C // SUPPLIES
