Marshmallow Structures
Empowerment Activity – Marshmallow Structures
Topic/Theme: Architecture and Construction Careers
Video: 60 Seconds With Architect June Grant
Supplies:
- Toothpicks
- Small marshmallows
- Wax paper
- Paper or plastic cups to divide the marshmallows
Video Discussion:
After watching the video 60 Seconds With Architect June Grant, ask your students to think about a building or house that they’ve seen and why it’s memorable.
Activity Instructions:
In this activity, you are the client and the students are the architects. You will have them design a structure (house, mansion, office building, etc.) using only marshmallows and toothpicks.
- June talks about designing for different clients and having to meet their needs but still being creative. In this case, I am your client and want you to build me a house out of marshmallow and toothpicks. You get to decide how it looks.
- The great part about being an architect is being able to see your project on the street and knowing that it will be there for a long time. Think about what design you would be proud to see and what you would want to leave behind in your community.
- June’s advice is to start playing and designing with 3-dimensional spaces, which is what we will be doing today.
Students may work individually or as a team. If working as a team you can make the activity more challenging by having them build a mansion or an office building, etc. Show the image above for inspiration.