The Badge Archive

Activity Description: Youth collaborate to build the tallest tower possible using only paper, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.

Items Needed:

• Sheets of paper (e.g., printer paper or construction paper)
• (Optional) Tape (for securing shapes)
• (Optional) Books or small weights (for testing strength)
• A timer to set a time limit for the challenge

Instructions

1. Introduce the Challenge
   • Explain to youth that they will work in teams to build the tallest tower possible using only paper.
   • Share that they can experiment with different paper shapes to make their tower stronger.
2. Explore Paper Structures
   • Demonstrate folding paper into different shapes, such as:
     • Triangle (prism-like): Fold paper into a triangular shape.
     • Square (box-like): Fold paper into a square or rectangular shape.
     • Cylinder: Roll paper into a cylindrical shape.
   • Explain that cylinders are often the strongest because they distribute weight evenly, unlike triangles and squares, which shift weight to edges and corners.
3. Build the Towers
   • Divide youth into small teams and give each team an equal amount of paper.
   • Allow teams to experiment with folding and combining shapes to create their towers.
   • Optional: Provide tape for securing shapes if needed.
4. Test Strength (Optional)
   • If desired, place books or small weights on the towers to see which structure holds the most weight.
   • Discuss why certain shapes performed better than others.
5. Set a Time Limit
   • Give teams 10–15 minutes to complete their towers.
6. Measure and Reflect
   • Measure each team’s tower to determine the tallest structure.
   • Celebrate all efforts and encourage youth to share what they learned about teamwork and strong paper structures.

Variations

• Team Competition: Create small groups and challenge them to compete for the tallest tower. Offer a small prize for the winning team, like stickers or certificates.
• Theme Challenge: Add a creative twist by asking teams to build towers in specific shapes or designs, such as castles or bridges.
• Strength Test: After building, test the strength of each tower by placing small weights on top to see which structure holds the most weight.
• Solo Version: For smaller troops or quieter sessions, have scouts build individual towers instead of team-based ones, encouraging personal creativity.
• Limited Resources: Introduce a constraint by providing fewer sheets of paper or specific types (e.g., only construction paper) to test adaptability and problem-solving.
• Non-Tape Challenge: Add difficulty by banning tape entirely, pushing scouts to rely solely on folds and shapes for stability.

This activity does not meet any Scouting America Requirements.

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