STEM activities are a great way to add hands-on learning to your child’s education. Building challenges encourage children to problem solve, think both creatively and critically, and learn trial and error skills. This Easy STEM Building Challenge for kids uses simple materials to create something new and interesting.

STEM challenges promote essential skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The projects tend to be open ended and allow for various different solutions to be correct.

This STEM challenge uses pipe cleaners and straws to building a freestanding tower. Children will learn as they build and even when their structure falls and breaks. They will try different strategies to make their structure stable.

In my classrooms, over the years, STEM challenges have always been popular and my students are always excited when I introduce a building challenge! I love this easy STEM building challenge because it uses materials that can be found in most classrooms and requires little to no prep.

If you like the idea of adding more STEM activities to your classroom or home, check out this collection of 50 STEM Activities Using 15 Materials where a simple collection of a few common materials leads to 50 different building activities.

Make sure to also check out my most popular collections of STEM activities, with 60 Best STEM Activities and 45+ STEM Challenge Ideas.

Easy STEM Building Challenge Materials

My favorite type of STEM challenges are ones that I can quickly and easily prepare for with very little, to no money. If I can use materials I already have in my room, this is ideal. All you need for this challenge is:

• Straws
• Pipe Cleaners
• Activity Card (Free to download at the end of the activity)

That’s all! The more you have of each material, the better. Children can work independently or in small groups, and the more of each material you can offer children, the better. If you have lots of straws and pipe cleaners available, children’s structures will become more detailed and creative.

You can use any type of straw. I used recyclable paper straws. You can also use any length of pipe cleaners.

Easy STEM Building Challenge Set Up

Preparing your STEM activity is easy. Provide children with a bunch of straws and pipe cleaners and tell them what their challenge is.

The challenge is intentionally simple and vague. Children can interpret and create however they want. There is no one right solution to the challenge.

You can download and print the activity card created for this activity, by subscribing below.

Each time I do a STEM activity with my students, the best part of the activity is watching all of the different solutions children come up with. There are often ideas I had never thought of or considered myself.

Make sure to give children the freedom to create using their imagination. Avoid telling children how to create and exactly what to do. Any freestanding tower is considered a success.

Building a Freestanding Tower

Once children know what their challenge is, they can begin creating. Some children might get stuck how to connect the straws. Resist jumping in and helping right away. Much of the learning happens during a STEM challenge. The trial and error is when children learn and persist.

The pipe cleaners can be inserted, and bent into the straw end. Another straw can then be attached to the pipe cleaners to create an edge. Continue adding pipe cleaners and straws to connect and build a structure.

Children will begin to notice that they can not only connect and build flat on the table, but also build up to create a 3D structure.

STEM Activity for Kids

As children build, they may begin to make squares and other shapes, and then turn them into 3D shapes.

Try to give children lots of time to create and build. The more time children have the more details they will begin to add to their structure.

It is interesting to watch as children create and begin to make various 3D structures. Some children added levels to their structure to make it as tall as possible. These groups may begin to realize that they have to reinforce their structure as it grews taller.

When I did this activity, some children built structures that were not as tall, but included lots of detail and looked really interesting.

The challenge is not to create the tallest tower, but rather just a freestanding tower. As long as children can take their hands off of the structure, and it doesn’t fall over, you can consider it completed and a success.

I hope that this easy STEM building challenge is enjoyed as much with your group as it was with my students. It’s a great way to use familiar materials in a whole new way!

Extension Ideas

If the pipe cleaners are not strong, or stiff, children can fold them in half to make them stronger. Some children may also find other ways to connect the straws. They can wrap the pipe cleaner around the straws to help secure it.

Any strategy children use, is a great solution. I hope that as your group builds, you notice lots of different strategies being used. It can be fascinating to see what children come up with.

If you have an older group of children building, you can add a few other materials for kids to add even more details to their structure. Kids love adding beads to the straws and pipe cleaners to make it look more appealing.

If you really want to extend the activity, you can provide children with construction paper and glue. Kids can glue the paper to their structure to create walls.

You can also test the strength of each free standing structure by placing a large piece of paper on top of each structure and placing small objects, or weights on the paper. How much weight can it withstand before it collapses or falls over?

Easy STEM Building Challenge Activity Card

Download the FREE activity card below. Click the image and subscribe, through Grow, to Hands-On Teaching Ideas. Once you subscribe, your freebie will download and you can print it.

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