Engineer Your Skyscraper

Learning Guide

A simple guide to lead you through the kickoff, the core challenge, and everything in between.

Mai’s Tips

1. During the building phase, observe without interfering too much. If they're struggling, ask clarifying questions instead of offering solutions: 'What part seems weakest right now?'
2. Encourage them to document their process—maybe a quick photo of their first attempt versus their final design. This helps them see their own learning journey.

Prep Before Session 5 min

• Gather index cards, tape, and scissors.
• Clear a flat, open workspace for building.

Photo by miha skovoroda on Pexels

1Introduction 5 min

• Welcome your child to the "Tallest Tower Challenge." Introduce the mission: building the highest freestanding tower. Then, engage them in a discussion about what makes structures stable. Ask: "What do you think makes a building strong and able to stand tall without toppling over?" and "What kind of shapes or foundations come to mind when you picture a really stable structure?" Follow up with: "What are some tall structures you've seen, and what do they have in common?" Emphasize stability – how a structure can stand firm and resist falling over, like a strong tree with deep roots, unlike a wobbly toy.

  Done: Your child has shared initial thoughts on stability and strength.

Know Before You Teach

• Good to know: A wider base generally makes a structure more stable because it spreads the weight over a larger area.
• Structures need to be stable to resist forces like wind or gravity that try to push them over.
• Triangles are very strong shapes often used in engineering to add stability to structures.
• If they ask: Why do some tall buildings look like they sway a little? Some very tall buildings are designed to sway slightly to absorb forces like strong winds, which helps prevent them from breaking.
• It's working when: The child actively offers more than one idea or asks a follow-up question about stability.

• If they're stuck: Show them a toy with a wide base that's hard to tip over and a toy with a narrow base that falls easily.
• Easier: Provide two simple pictures, one of a stable object (like a pyramid) and one of an unstable object (like a pencil standing on its tip), and ask which looks stronger.
• Harder: Ask them to name a specific real-world example of a very stable structure and explain why they think it is stable.

Done when: Student has shared initial thoughts on stability and strength.

Photo by ThisIsEngineering on Pexels

2Explore & Plan 8 min

• Help your child lay out all the materials: index cards, tape, and scissors. Encourage them to handle the items and think about their properties. Ask: "How do you think you can best use these simple items to create a strong, tall structure?" Encourage brainstorming multiple designs before building; suggest drawing quick sketches of a few ideas. Ask them to verbalize their thoughts and predictions: "What's your first idea for a base? Why do you think that might work?" Prompt them further: "What are some ways you could fold, cut, or combine the cards to make them stronger?"

  Done: Your child has brainstormed at least two potential tower designs and considered how to use the materials.

Know Before You Teach

• Good to know: Folding or rolling a flat piece of paper makes it much stronger and more rigid than leaving it flat.
• Tape helps create firm connections between pieces, which is essential for a structure to hold together.
• Different shapes, like tubes or triangular prisms made from cards, distribute weight in various ways and offer different strengths.
• If they ask: Can I use glue instead of tape? For this challenge, we'll stick to tape to see how we can use just these materials, but glue often creates even stronger, more permanent connections.
• It's working when: The child physically tries bending or shaping the index cards in different ways before deciding on a design.

• If they're stuck: Suggest they try folding an index card into a 'V' shape or rolling it into a tube and see how that feels compared to a flat card.
• Easier: Provide one example of an index card folded into a strong shape (e.g., a cylinder) and ask them to try making others.
• Harder: Ask them to predict which of their brainstormed designs might be the least stable and explain their reasoning.

Done when: Student has brainstormed at least two potential tower designs and considered how to use the materials.

Photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels

3Discussion 6 min

• Now, discuss the science behind stability. Ask: "What's the most important part of a really tall building when it comes to keeping it from falling over?" Guide them towards the base. Explain stability as the ability for something to stay upright and not fall down, like a heavy block. The opposite is being wobbly. A structure needs stability to resist forces. Discuss balance – when forces on an object are equal, allowing it to remain upright and steady. Ask: "Do you think a wider base helps, or a narrow one? What role does balance play?" If they get stuck, ask: "Think about a tall tree – what makes it stand firm?"

  Done: Your child can discuss the importance of a wide base and balance for stability.

Know Before You Teach

• Good to know: Distributing the weight of the tower evenly helps maintain balance, preventing one side from becoming too heavy and causing a lean.
• If they ask: What is a center of gravity? It's like an imaginary spot where all the weight of an object seems to be concentrated; if this spot stays directly over the base, the object will stand upright.
• If they're stuck: Have them try to balance a book first on its spine (narrow) and then flat (wide) to physically demonstrate the effect of base width.

• Easier: Show them two small wooden blocks, one wider than the other, and ask which one feels more stable when you try to gently push it.
• Harder: Ask them to consider how a very tall, narrow structure, like a needle or a flagpole, might achieve stability despite its shape.

Done when: Student can discuss the importance of a wide base and balance for stability.

Photo by Dom J on Pexels

4Activity 9 min

• It’s time to build! Provide the materials and a dedicated workspace. Encourage your child to take their chosen design and construct their tower. Remind them the goal is the tallest freestanding tower – it must stand entirely on its own, without leaning on anything. Freestanding means it can support itself, like a sculpture in a park. The opposite is a shelf leaning against a wall. Emphasize that it's okay for structures to collapse; learning from mistakes is part of the process! Ask: "What are you going to try first to make sure your base is super solid?" During building, ask: "What are you noticing as you build?" or "What's challenging right now?" Offer encouragement. Once built, measure its height from base to highest point.

  Done: Your child has completed their physical tower and measured its height.

Know Before You Teach

• Good to know: Engineers often build prototypes (test models) and test them, learning valuable lessons from any parts that collapse or don't work as expected.
• If they ask: What if my tower keeps falling down? That's exactly what engineers experience! Think about why it's falling: is the base too small, are the connections weak, or is it leaning too much?
• It's working when: The child adjusts their building strategy or design after an attempt fails, showing they are learning from the process.

• If they're stuck: Suggest they focus solely on making the strongest, widest base possible first, before trying to build any height.
• Easier: Allow them to use one additional simple base item, like an empty toilet paper roll or a small paper cup, to start their tower.
• Harder: Introduce a constraint: they can only use a maximum of 5 small pieces of tape for the entire tower.

Done when: Student has completed their physical tower and measured its height.

Photo by MEHMET AYTEMİZ on Pexels

5Summary 2 min

• Celebrate your child’s effort and the tower they built! Ask: "What was the most surprising thing you learned about building a stable tower today?" Encourage them to reflect on challenges. Then, prompt them to think about future attempts: "If you were to do this challenge again, what's one thing you would change about your design or approach, and why?" Finally, connect their experience to the real world: "How do you think engineers use these same ideas when building actual skyscrapers or bridges?"

  Done: Your child shares at least one key takeaway or reflection.

Know Before You Teach

• Good to know: Real-world engineers use an iterative design process, meaning they build, test, learn from results, and then refine their designs repeatedly.
• Skyscrapers use very strong materials like steel and reinforced concrete, often with deep foundations that extend far into the ground for stability.
• Engineers must consider many factors like wind resistance, seismic activity (earthquakes), and the total weight of the building when designing.
• If they ask: What's the tallest building in the world? Currently, it's the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It uses many engineering principles we've discussed, like a wide, Y-shaped base for stability.

• It's working when: The child connects their hands-on building experience to a broader concept, such as the importance of planning or making strong connections.
• If they're stuck: Provide a specific real-world example: 'Think about the Eiffel Tower. What do you see in its design that helps it stand so tall?'
• Easier: Simply ask, 'What was your favorite part about building your tower today?'
• Harder: Ask them to identify one specific engineering challenge a real skyscraper builder might face that they didn't encounter during their challenge.

Done when: Student shares one key takeaway or reflection.

Your Notes