Beavers and Cubs: Tower Building

 Discover the secrets behind the world’s most amazing feats of engineering and build some of your own.

You will need

  • A4 paper
  • Pens or pencils
  • Stopwatch or phone
  • Spaghetti
  • Mini marshmallows

Super structures

  1. Think about some of the biggest or tallest buildings in the world. Which ones can you name? What makes them special or interesting? Some structures to mention:
    • The Eiffel Tower. Built in 1889, over 5,300 drawings were made of this 324 metre high tower in Paris. Gustave Eiffel designed the legs of the tower to stand at an angle of at 54 degrees for maximum wind resistance.
    • The Great Pyramid of Giza. The oldest and largest of the pyramids in Egypt, and the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was built in 2580 BC. Pyramids have a wide base and a narrow top, creating a very sturdy and rigid shape.
    • The Golden Gate Bridge. Opened in 1937, this suspension bridge over San Francisco Bay has a span of 1,300 metres and cost $35 million to make. Suspension bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge deck and vehicles up through the suspender rods to the main suspension cable, which then transfers the weight to the bridge towers and anchor rods which go into the ground.
  1. Think about a time they were on a bridge, a cliff, or a roof. What was it like? Was the weather the same as it was down on the ground? How are tall buildings made to withstand extreme weather conditions? The experiment will look at the shapes and forces of buildings, and how they are all pushing and pulling against each other.
  2. Draw some tall towers. Which shapes are the strongest? (Triangles). Think about the materials you will be using (spaghetti and marshmallows). Are your structures going to be possible with the materials we have? How will you make it both the tallest and strongest possible?

Get building

  1. Once you have decided on a final design for your tower, you should build it using only the materials you’ve been given. The person leading the activity should time 10 minutes for them to do this.
  2. Think carefully about how you are using their materials. It’s important not to waste them, or your tower won’t be as tall or as strong as it could be.

Reflection

This activity was about learning new skills. What were the factors that made the towers strong? What made the towers less sturdy? What kinds of jobs involve using these skills?

This activity was also about working in a team. How well did your team work together to make the tower? Would you do anything differently if you were going to build a tower again? 


This activity completes:
Cubs Scientist Activity Badge – requirement 2.d

Safety

Science

Supervise young people, and only do science activities that are advised and age appropriate for your section. Test activities first, to make sure you’re confident you can lead them safely. Use protective clothing where necessary.

Sharp objects

Teach young people how to use sharp objects safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

 
More for your section:

More Activities

Beavers: Disability Awareness Activity Badge

Image
As Scouts, we believe in inclusion, which means making sure nobody gets left out. 1.      Disability awareness: Find out about Paralympian and Scout Ambassador, Ellie Simmonds. Make a poster to tell a story about her achievements. This article may be a good starting point https://www.channel4.com/news/ellie-simmonds-paralympics-golden-girl Physical disability awareness: Have a go at playing Boccia, find out how to play here:  https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/brilliant-boccia/ 2.      Deaf awareness: Use this worksheet to help you learn the Promise in British Sign Language. http://www.colonyresources.co.uk/activity/disability/beaverpromise.pdf Get your parent to film you saying the promise in BSL so you can show your leader.   3.      Sight awareness: Watch this video to find out about how guide dogs help blind people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wr7SUVb_0s&ab_channel=GuideDogs...
Give it a go »

Cubs: Scientist Activity Badge

Image
From the cells in our bodies to the energy fuelling our homes and the stars in the night sky, we use science to find out more about the mind-boggling universe we call home. Pop on your safety goggles and get experimenting. To earn your badge, do all six of the science activities below. For each one, take photographs and write explanations to email  your leader showing what you did and what you found out. Safety Science Supervise young people, and only do science activities that are advised and age appropriate for your section. Test activities first, to make sure you’re confident you can lead them safely. Use protective clothing where necessary. Scissors Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people Rubbish and recycling All items should be clean and suitable for this activity. PPE Before completing this activity make sure you have suitable personal protective equipm...
Give it a go »

Beavers: Communicator Activity Badge

Image
Listen up! from simple phone calls to secret codes, Scouts are fantastic communicators. How to earn your badge: 1.      Learn how to make a phone call. Here is a fun game to help you practise making a call  https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/hide-and-speak/   2.      Play the Jump your number game to help you to learn your phone number https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/jump-your-number/ 3.      Learn how to send an email or text message. When you’ve completed all of the requirements for this badge, you could send an email to your leader to let them know what you’ve done . 4.               4.        Morse code is a type of code that is used to send telegraphic information using rhythm. Morse code uses dots and dashes to show the alphabet letters, numbers, punctuation and special characters of a given message. When messages are sent by Mo...
Give it a go »

Beavers and Cubs: Super Scarves

Image
Today we’re going to learn to be more independent and remember what it means to be a Scout by practising rolling, folding, and tying our Scout scarves. Some people call them neckers, and others have other names too. To learn to roll, fold, and tie your scarf, all you’ll need is your scarf, a woggle, and a little bit of space. Everyone got their stuff? Hold it up so everyone can see... great, let’s go. Start off by spreading out your scarf with the point facing away from you, then smooth it out. Start to roll it away from you, using both hands and keeping it nice and smooth. Stop rolling once there’s about a hand span of space between the roll and the point. Stretch your hand out like a starfish – if your thumb touches the roll, your little finger should touch the point of the scarf. Unroll your scarf so you can practise folding it. It works in the same way, except you’ll fold it instead of rolling it. Scouts all over the world wear neckers – they remind everyone that they’re a part of ...
Give it a go »