Building Structures
The materials I chose to use to build my three structures are toothpicks and small marshmallows. I chose these materials because I thought it would be fun to use with young children. It’s an activity that’s not messy just a little sticky and they can enjoy a sweet treat while working. The toothpicks and marshmallows are both small promoting help with fine motor development. The limit to only two types of materials to work with isn’t to over whelming. Also engaging their ability to think of different ways and types of structures to build.
The first structure was built to represent a pyramid. As I started building it the image in my head wasn’t matching to what my hands were building. I didn’t stop building I just went with the flow and built till I was satisfied. I focused on equilibrium, tension, and compression when building this structure. I wanted to make the base of the structure wider and as I built it taller each level would have to be narrower or smaller in size. This idea didn’t match my spatial …show more content…
thinking but it still is triangular in shape like a pyramid. I think if I didn’t stop where I did and kept adding more levels, I could have possibly got it to look more like pyramid. The structure is two toothpicks tall with one side on the triangle being four toothpicks long and the other two side’s only three toothpicks long. When I did the base level I only added one diagonal toothpick to every other square shape. When I made my second level I took two toothpicks and made them like a triangle shape. Each end point of the toothpicks are connected by one marshmallow. The diagonal supports help create a strong foundation of tension and compression to hold up the structure. During the making of the second level is when I noticed it was going to be an exact representation of a pyramid. The marshmallows where not strong supports, they kept making the toothpicks lean and twist. I thought about adding more center mass support toothpicks in the middle of the structure from the base to the top so it didn’t fall in. From certain angles of my structure it has the concept of what a three-dimensional pyramid looks like. Altogether my structure was 7 inches long, 3 ½ inch in width, 5 inches tall and weighs 27.7 grams.
The second structure I built was going to represent a very tall skyscraper but it was not very tall at all. As I was building I noticed it was twisting a lot and not very sturdy. It was experiencing too much torque, so I made it a smaller building. When I was building this one I decided to double up some of the toothpicks thinking it would create more sturdiness and strength. My idea wasn’t working well because it kept twisting (torque) when I connected a new piece. I went through the structure and added more support in areas where I saw big opened spaces. I placed two toothpicks end-to-end diagonally to help with the tension and compression my structure was experiencing. It seemed to help out enough for the twisting to stop. The first level is square shaped that is one doubled up toothpicks tall and two sets of doubled up toothpicks long. Each square shape on the sides are supported by two toothpicks long diagonally. The second level is only one single toothpick tall and two single toothpicks long, with no supports within the square shapes. As I made the second level I notice that the structure wanted to fall in toward the middle. I than connected toothpicks and marshmallows to each corner to make a big X in the middle to help out with the center of mass. The third level I placed a toothpick slightly diagonal making it look like a triangle shape. When it came time to create a roof, I wanted it to be a pointed slopped roof. As I began to build it, it wasn’t working out to my perception. Since the toothpicks where falling in toward the center of the structure I focused on supporting it with the center of mass concept. I made a flat roof crisscrossing three toothpicks and connecting marshmallows when needed to hold up the flat roof top. Altogether my structure was 4 to 3 ½ inches long and in width, 5.4 inches tall and weighs 47.9 grams.
The third structure is a representation of a bridge. When building this structure I wanted the base too have more support and strength than I wanted the top part to have. The reason why is because I imagine cars driving on the bottom part. So I figured it must be stronger to hold the weight of the cars along with the top portion of the bridge. The top part of the bridge was designed that to be light weight and arrow dynamic. This structure was the easiest one that I build. I didn’t really deal with any difficulties building this one. I did notice that the top half was very fragile and had some leaning happening. I think with some more support toothpicks it would be stiffer but I didn’t want to add more toothpicks. My goal was to keep the top level light in weight. With this structure I wanted something simpler so I only build it one toothpick tall and seven toothpicks long with a marshmallow between each connection to the next toothpick. I focused on symmetry and branching during this build. The reason for that was to the have an equal amount of weight and balance on both sides opposite of each other. When making the bottom section of my structure I placed supports with toothpicks making a triangle shape in the middle of the square shape. Starting from the left side going three square spaces I have the triangles pointing to the right and from the right side pointing to the left and in the very middle square there is a crisscross of both directions. This structure was 12 ½ inches long, 2 inches in height and width, and weighs 27.1 grams. If I were doing this activity with a 3 year old they most likely would only be at a level of just stacking the materials up and or even flat on the ground. While I observe their process of building I would like to ask some questions. I would like to know and understand more in detail their thought process and reasoning. One question would be: Tell me what are you building and why did you make it that type of building? Another: What different shapes do you notice in your structure, do you think these shapes help make the structure stand strong, why? As a child gets older their level of spatial understanding should be grow as they gain experience. If you were working with a 5 year old child you would see different building techniques within their building abilities. You would observe bridging and enclosures. Some questions I would ask a student of this age would be: What do you think is making the bridge structure stand strong and frim, did you have any troubles with it, if so what did you have to do to make it stay? Another: Why do you have enclosures within your building, could it be built without them? At the age of 7 years old a child will be able to build structure with more symmetry and different patterns, including having more detail when representing a building. One question I would ask is: I noticed a pattern within your building processes can you tell me why you did that, what’s the purpose? Another: Tell me about any challenges you had while building along with what modifications you had to do to help make it stand better? Since it takes time and experience to gain knowledge about spatial thinking, young children would most likely build different looking structures than mine.
Their structures would have similarities but they might not have so many different supports to help make it strong and sturdy. Young children also will lack the ability to think of many ways to problem solve all their challenges during the building processes. If a child where building a structure with my materials, one spatial thinking action they would use is what shape and size would be the best way to make a sturdy structure. Another one would be how many toothpicks and marshmallows would be needed to make the structure I want. They also might think where and how many marshmallows should I place on the toothpicks so it stands up tall and strong. Always keep in mind that each age has a different cognitive ability of spatial thinking when doing building activities or drawing
activities.
I feel I learned a lot of different types of knowledge and ideas during this activity to share with children. I learned to choose appropriate building materials that will help children learn scientific concepts to build a strong, tall, and interesting structure. I noticed that you should chose materials based on their age, along with their cognitive and motor skills. I came across some challenges that could be very frustrating for a young child. At certain ages children can only think so in-depth when it comes to spatial reasoning. The goal is to help them explore and gain more spatial knowledge and successes. You must keep in mind not to give them hard materials to build with so they can explore their own thoughts with the new knowledge. Continuing my learning on young children’s development and spatial thinking will go on for years as I am a teacher. I feel each child will have different ways of spatial thinking and abilities that involve Euclidean, projective, and topological spaces. Spatial thinking involves scientific and mathematic concepts that can help any child gain more knowledge and skills to apply to their everyday life.
The first structure was built to represent a pyramid. As I started building it the image in my head wasn’t matching to what my hands were building. I didn’t stop building I just went with the flow and built till I was satisfied. I focused on equilibrium, tension, and compression when building this structure. I wanted to make the base of the structure wider and as I built it taller each level would have to be narrower or smaller in size. This idea didn’t match my spatial …show more content…
thinking but it still is triangular in shape like a pyramid. I think if I didn’t stop where I did and kept adding more levels, I could have possibly got it to look more like pyramid. The structure is two toothpicks tall with one side on the triangle being four toothpicks long and the other two side’s only three toothpicks long. When I did the base level I only added one diagonal toothpick to every other square shape. When I made my second level I took two toothpicks and made them like a triangle shape. Each end point of the toothpicks are connected by one marshmallow. The diagonal supports help create a strong foundation of tension and compression to hold up the structure. During the making of the second level is when I noticed it was going to be an exact representation of a pyramid. The marshmallows where not strong supports, they kept making the toothpicks lean and twist. I thought about adding more center mass support toothpicks in the middle of the structure from the base to the top so it didn’t fall in. From certain angles of my structure it has the concept of what a three-dimensional pyramid looks like. Altogether my structure was 7 inches long, 3 ½ inch in width, 5 inches tall and weighs 27.7 grams.
The second structure I built was going to represent a very tall skyscraper but it was not very tall at all. As I was building I noticed it was twisting a lot and not very sturdy. It was experiencing too much torque, so I made it a smaller building. When I was building this one I decided to double up some of the toothpicks thinking it would create more sturdiness and strength. My idea wasn’t working well because it kept twisting (torque) when I connected a new piece. I went through the structure and added more support in areas where I saw big opened spaces. I placed two toothpicks end-to-end diagonally to help with the tension and compression my structure was experiencing. It seemed to help out enough for the twisting to stop. The first level is square shaped that is one doubled up toothpicks tall and two sets of doubled up toothpicks long. Each square shape on the sides are supported by two toothpicks long diagonally. The second level is only one single toothpick tall and two single toothpicks long, with no supports within the square shapes. As I made the second level I notice that the structure wanted to fall in toward the middle. I than connected toothpicks and marshmallows to each corner to make a big X in the middle to help out with the center of mass. The third level I placed a toothpick slightly diagonal making it look like a triangle shape. When it came time to create a roof, I wanted it to be a pointed slopped roof. As I began to build it, it wasn’t working out to my perception. Since the toothpicks where falling in toward the center of the structure I focused on supporting it with the center of mass concept. I made a flat roof crisscrossing three toothpicks and connecting marshmallows when needed to hold up the flat roof top. Altogether my structure was 4 to 3 ½ inches long and in width, 5.4 inches tall and weighs 47.9 grams.
The third structure is a representation of a bridge. When building this structure I wanted the base too have more support and strength than I wanted the top part to have. The reason why is because I imagine cars driving on the bottom part. So I figured it must be stronger to hold the weight of the cars along with the top portion of the bridge. The top part of the bridge was designed that to be light weight and arrow dynamic. This structure was the easiest one that I build. I didn’t really deal with any difficulties building this one. I did notice that the top half was very fragile and had some leaning happening. I think with some more support toothpicks it would be stiffer but I didn’t want to add more toothpicks. My goal was to keep the top level light in weight. With this structure I wanted something simpler so I only build it one toothpick tall and seven toothpicks long with a marshmallow between each connection to the next toothpick. I focused on symmetry and branching during this build. The reason for that was to the have an equal amount of weight and balance on both sides opposite of each other. When making the bottom section of my structure I placed supports with toothpicks making a triangle shape in the middle of the square shape. Starting from the left side going three square spaces I have the triangles pointing to the right and from the right side pointing to the left and in the very middle square there is a crisscross of both directions. This structure was 12 ½ inches long, 2 inches in height and width, and weighs 27.1 grams. If I were doing this activity with a 3 year old they most likely would only be at a level of just stacking the materials up and or even flat on the ground. While I observe their process of building I would like to ask some questions. I would like to know and understand more in detail their thought process and reasoning. One question would be: Tell me what are you building and why did you make it that type of building? Another: What different shapes do you notice in your structure, do you think these shapes help make the structure stand strong, why? As a child gets older their level of spatial understanding should be grow as they gain experience. If you were working with a 5 year old child you would see different building techniques within their building abilities. You would observe bridging and enclosures. Some questions I would ask a student of this age would be: What do you think is making the bridge structure stand strong and frim, did you have any troubles with it, if so what did you have to do to make it stay? Another: Why do you have enclosures within your building, could it be built without them? At the age of 7 years old a child will be able to build structure with more symmetry and different patterns, including having more detail when representing a building. One question I would ask is: I noticed a pattern within your building processes can you tell me why you did that, what’s the purpose? Another: Tell me about any challenges you had while building along with what modifications you had to do to help make it stand better? Since it takes time and experience to gain knowledge about spatial thinking, young children would most likely build different looking structures than mine.
Their structures would have similarities but they might not have so many different supports to help make it strong and sturdy. Young children also will lack the ability to think of many ways to problem solve all their challenges during the building processes. If a child where building a structure with my materials, one spatial thinking action they would use is what shape and size would be the best way to make a sturdy structure. Another one would be how many toothpicks and marshmallows would be needed to make the structure I want. They also might think where and how many marshmallows should I place on the toothpicks so it stands up tall and strong. Always keep in mind that each age has a different cognitive ability of spatial thinking when doing building activities or drawing
activities.
I feel I learned a lot of different types of knowledge and ideas during this activity to share with children. I learned to choose appropriate building materials that will help children learn scientific concepts to build a strong, tall, and interesting structure. I noticed that you should chose materials based on their age, along with their cognitive and motor skills. I came across some challenges that could be very frustrating for a young child. At certain ages children can only think so in-depth when it comes to spatial reasoning. The goal is to help them explore and gain more spatial knowledge and successes. You must keep in mind not to give them hard materials to build with so they can explore their own thoughts with the new knowledge. Continuing my learning on young children’s development and spatial thinking will go on for years as I am a teacher. I feel each child will have different ways of spatial thinking and abilities that involve Euclidean, projective, and topological spaces. Spatial thinking involves scientific and mathematic concepts that can help any child gain more knowledge and skills to apply to their everyday life.