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How to Build a Straw Tower: Homeschool STEM Project

December 13, 2016 By Jimmie Quick 35 Comments

How to Build a Straw Tower: Homeschool STEM Project
Using only tape and straws,  Emma and I built a tower capable of holding a baseball! Here’s proof!

straw tower on porch

This  assignment from the Livingmath.net curriculum was not an easy project because there were no directions, just an assignment — build a tower from straws.  Never having constructed anything like this nor ever having seen a straw tower, I was rather frustrated at the lack of detail offered. I mean, how can we make something that we have no concept of at all?

I could only find one resource that had directions — How to Build a Straw Tower Capable of Holding a Baseball. So we roughly followed the guidelines laid out there, and it worked. Sprite and I are not short on creativity, but we certainly need some sort of foundation to work on. The article fit the bill. Here are our steps.

straw tower cutting straws

straw towe square and triangle

First we had to cut off the bendy part of each straw. Then we made a triangle and a square to compare the strengths of each shape. It was easy to see that a triangle is much stronger than a square. But we followed our directions and made an octagon base pentagon base. (Whoops! Thanks, Chaz, for pointing out my error.)
straw tower making pentagon base

straw tower making long side1

straw tower making long side2

For the side structures, we made long pieces from six straws by inserting straws into other straws.

straw tower making long side

straw tower long sides and base done

We used tape to reinforce the joints. Here are our completed base and sides.

straw tower taping sides to base

straw tower taping supports

Then we began connecting the sides to the base. Just taping this thing together was tricky! We tried lots of ways before we found methods that worked. We used a LOT of tape. But there was nothing in the directions about being pretty. The one criteria was that it hold a baseball.

straw tower center support
We also constructed a center support. Then we were exhausted and tired of yellow straws! So things got a bit silly!

straw tower acting silly

straw tower microphone

sprite trimming straw tower

close up of tape1

The next day, we resumed work on the tower. We trimmed it to a shorter height and added horizontal  supports all around. Not pretty, by any means, but it was strong! Now the test. Here is Sprite, gingerly testing the structure with a baseball.

placing the baseball3

IT WORKS!

placing the baseball4


Books with projects using straws:

Or cheat with a building kit:


 

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Filed Under: hands-on homeschool, living math, science Tagged With: hands-on, math, science

Comments

  1. Brenda says

    May 27, 2009 at 9:14 pm

    OK. This looks like some serious fun!

    Reply
  2. Martha says

    May 28, 2009 at 2:30 am

    Love seeing all you do.

    Reply
  3. missy says

    May 28, 2009 at 7:40 am

    It looks like sprite had a good time making this!

    Reply
  4. Tiany says

    May 29, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    This is very neat! I will have to try this with my boys. I love your new Blog! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Dawn says

    June 1, 2009 at 3:20 am

    Very! Vwey! cool…. I love seeing all of your neat projects.
    Blessings,
    Dawn

    Reply
  6. Marsha says

    June 1, 2009 at 12:50 pm

    YAY for Sprite and for you! Very cool indeedy.

    Reply
  7. Melissa Telling says

    June 2, 2009 at 1:33 am

    Looks like fun. I bet my boys would have fun with this project.

    The new blog is very nice. Looking forward to seeingwha you do with it. I will miss the old one though. 🙁

    Reply
  8. Laura says

    June 9, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    Just wanted to thank you for sharing this as you inspired me to have my oldest son build one.

    http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/06/flurry-of-activity-x-6-end-of-school.html

    Reply
  9. chaz says

    October 30, 2009 at 3:15 am

    that base is pentagonal not octagonal

    Reply
  10. Jimmie says

    October 30, 2009 at 8:26 pm

    Chaz,
    You are so right! I did write “octagon base.” And it’s clearly NOT an octagon. Whoops! I will change that! Thanks so much for the correction.

    Reply
  11. eric shaun says

    December 4, 2009 at 2:36 am

    i love th design, i’m doing it for an engineer project

    Reply
  12. Hoff, Jack says

    December 9, 2009 at 2:05 am

    The octagonal base is great for support.

    Reply
  13. Tess Steckle says

    December 9, 2009 at 2:07 am

    Hi, i am doing a project just like this, but we haveto use paper clips instead of tape. anyone have ideas.

    Reply
  14. Harry Kuntz says

    December 9, 2009 at 2:12 am

    i would poke a hole threw the straw and attach the 2 paper clips toghther

    Reply
  15. elisa says

    December 16, 2009 at 10:25 am

    thank you so much this really helped me in school

    Reply
  16. patrick says

    January 29, 2010 at 10:46 pm

    thanks! This helped me get an A!

    Reply
    • Jimmie says

      February 3, 2010 at 9:25 pm

      @Patrick — Horray! What wonderful news!

      Reply
  17. Wierdo says

    February 11, 2010 at 12:47 am

    Thanks for the help…I might use the idea =D

    Reply
  18. jayant says

    March 15, 2010 at 7:25 pm

    thats good..
    do u also have some oter models

    Reply
  19. Father jude says

    March 31, 2010 at 1:20 am

    it faled me

    Reply
  20. Nicole says

    April 30, 2010 at 12:16 am

    Me and my partner, Heather are required to build a straw tower using 40 straws, 3 feet of tape, and 6 pipe cleaners. How many straws did you use? (:
    Maybe you can give us some helpful tips on our tower?

    Reply
  21. Cris P Bacon says

    September 27, 2010 at 8:22 pm

    love it thanks

    Reply
  22. jasmine says

    November 24, 2010 at 10:11 am

    thats good

    Reply
  23. aolle says

    December 2, 2010 at 6:08 pm

    hi…. can anyone tell me if i can build a straw tower made out of 30 straws??????

    —–b’coz that’s my problem… we only to have 30 straws and have to create a strong foundation when slammed can stand again,,,,,,

    Reply
    • bob says

      February 24, 2011 at 4:54 pm

      yes you can

      Reply
  24. bob says

    February 24, 2011 at 4:55 pm

    yes, very easy follow the above

    Reply
  25. Naima says

    May 20, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    I’m doing the same project at school, and i was just woundering how long did it take to make the straw tower?

    Reply
    • hayley says

      December 8, 2011 at 7:34 pm

      about 1 hour (no break)

      Reply
  26. Marty Smarty says

    August 31, 2011 at 9:12 am

    hey how about putting three legged straw towers on here

    Reply
  27. irma says

    October 13, 2011 at 8:02 am

    good design 🙂

    Reply
  28. hayley says

    December 8, 2011 at 7:33 pm

    my team in tech had to bulid one of this and were winning.

    Reply
  29. Bikram Singh says

    February 18, 2012 at 11:56 pm

    woww……. good design ..

    Reply
  30. Kasey says

    February 19, 2012 at 7:35 pm

    Thank you so much! This really helped me with my science project. Especially the part about cutting off the bendy part of the straws!! 🙂

    Reply
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