First grade engineers enjoyed this challenge, so I decided to give the same challenge to my second grade engineers. They were tasked to build a structure using Popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, 3 x 5 cards, and clothespins that could stand on its own. This isn’t easy to accomplish and I was impressed with the variety of designs! While some students used symmetry to help balance their structures, many other structures were asymmetrical. Every time our structures fell, we used what we learned to improve our designs.

This young engineer placed one clothespin horizontally at the foundation which enabled her to balance the rest of her structure. She also had a very steady hand!