Course Content
MARSHMELLOW CHALLENGE
Source: www.marshmallowchallenge.com
The Marshmallow Challenge is a fun and educational design exercise that encourages teams to experience simple yet profound lessons in collaboration, innovation and creativity.
Roadmap:
- Divide the group into teams of 3 – 4 people.
- Give each team an equal package of materials from the materials list.
- Teams are given eighteen minutes to use the materials to build the tallest freestanding structure, with the marshmallow having to reach the top.
- Afterwards, watch this TED talk together https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower_build_a_team
Putting the whole group in a creative state of mind. That will help to think about what it takes to innovate, design with purpose, learn to value time and materials, and weigh options.
Learning Outcomes:
You can learn a lot from how different teams have tackled the Marshmallolw Challenge. Which team did the least? Why was that? Which team made the tallest tower? Why did that work out so well? What makes you get better results and why does it sometimes go wrong?
Necessities:
Per team: 20 spaghetti sticks, one meter of painter’s tape, one meter of rope and one marshmallow.
Evaluation:
Ask students what they have learned about using materials and designing structures? What can they do with this in the world around them? What did they think was most important in this activity? What did they miss?
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