Science News Articles: 4 Engineering Challenges for Kids (Cups, Craft Sticks, and Cubes!)

4 Engineering Challenges for Kids (Cups, Craft Sticks, and Cubes!) - Frugal Fun For Boys

Four Engineering Challenges for Kids - With Craft Sticks, Cups, and Cubes

This project is the second project in our Summer STEAM Camp series! This week, we are exploring with the sense of touch.

Here are the materials we used for this project: (Amazon affiliate links)

Colored Jumbo Craft Sticks
Wooden Cubes – I used 3/4 inch cubes from Hobby Lobby. The best option on Amazon in terms of reviews and price seems to be these 1 inch wooden cubes.
Plastic Cups – 3 oz. size

Who knew that craft sticks, cubes, and cups could be so interesting? Extend the play and learning with these fun engineering challenges.

Challenge #1: Build a structure with one cube as the base. Yes, just one cube!

When I announced this one, the boys told me it would be impossible. So I showed them this construction which I had already built:

So then Owen came up with this:

And Gresham built this:

As long as you add pieces on both sides of your structure simultaneously, you can build some amazing designs!

Challenge #2: Using any size base, build the tallest possible structure.

Stacking craft sticks on top of plastic cups allows you to build a much more vertical structure than what you can make with cups alone.

Challenge #3: Feats of Balance. Make something stick out in an impressive way!

This structure that Aidan built seemed to defy gravity! Those cubes are really lightweight, and it was hard to believe that they could counterbalance the craft sticks and cups sticking out like that. But add enough of them…