On Friday we experienced what it is like to be an Architect. Prior to designing and building our own structures, we watched a YouTube video on what exactly an architect does. Check out the link below to watch the clip!

“So You Want to Be an Architect”

Once we learned that the first job of an architect is to design, we worked in groups of 4-5 to draw a design for our structure to be created out of only mini marshmallows and tooth picks. Each group had 15 minutes to sketch a design. After they had a sketch, they worked as a group to implement their design. They had 1 hour, 1 bag of mini marshmallows, and 150 tooth picks to complete this task. The competition requirements were to have the tallest sturdiest tower. All structures would be measured at the end of the hour for height and again at the end of the day to see which group’s was the sturdiest. Groups also had to measure the length and width of the base and use those measurements to calculate the perimeter and area of the base.

Our winning group had an original height of 12 inches and an ending height of 6 inches.