The Badge Archive

Paper Tower Challenge

Fulfills Step 2 of Think Like an Engineer Journey requirements. – Recommended for Junior level.

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 scouts 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 scouts 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 scouts 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.

Resources:

  • McClelland, Sarah. “Strong Paper STEM Challenge.” Little Bins for Little Hands, 14 Jan. 2021, littlebinsforlittlehands.com/strong-paper-structures/.
Tia Kennard