PVC Tower Building Challenge

In this STEM activity, your students will collaborate to build the tallest, most stable tower using PVC pipes, duct tape, and creativity!

This activity was originally done with middle schoolers, but is designed to work with students of higher levels, including high school and college. It is perfect for teaching skills like quick problem-solving, learning through failure, improvising since there is a time constraint, and collaborating with their peers. With easy-to-source materials and a simple setup, it is a fantastic way to engage students in hands-on STEM-oriented learning and creative problem-solving.

PVC Pipes:

13x 10FT PVC Pipes

Cut as follows: (see above image as reference)

1. 10x Pipes → 1x 6FT pieces and 1x 4FT piece
2. 2x Pipes → 2x 4FT pieces and 1x 2FT piece
3. 1x Pipe → 5x 2FT pieces

You will have:

1. 10x 6FT pipes
2. 12X 4FT pipes
3. 6X 2FT pipes

Rope:

1. 1x 40FT rope; to measure the workspace
2. 1x 20FT rope; to measure the tower height

Planning Materials:

1. 1x Whiteboard
2. 1x Dry erase marker
3. 1x Marker eraser

Tools:

1. 2x Scissors
2. 2x Rolls of duct tape
3. 1x Measuring tape
4. 1x Bin (for tool storage)

Note that this list only supplies one team

If space management or students wandering into other teams' areas is a concern, this rope can be used to clearly define boundaries and keep everyone within their designated workspace.

Use the 40FT rope to create a 10x10FT square on the ground.

Place all materials inside the square

Divide the students into smaller teams (6-8 students per team works well)

Move each team to a square with their materials

Set a timer for 5 minutes.

In these 5 minutes, each team will create a plan of action for the construction of their tower. They can use the whiteboard, dry erase marker, and marker eraser to sketch out their tower design.

The purpose of the planning section to brainstorm any and all ideas for the tower by having the team discuss which ideas would be best for building the best tower.

Make sure to mention that one end of the 20FT rope will need to be on the tallest point of their tower. While building, they will have to choose a PVC pipe to tape the rope onto.

Set a timer for 30 minutes.

In these 30 minutes, students will have access to all the available materials so they can build their tower.

Allow students to lead, but supervise to ensure safety (prevent rough handling of pipes, climbing on towers, horseplay, incorrect use of tools/materials, etc.). Encourage all students to participate in the building of the tower!

Make sure that students do tape the 20FT rope onto a PVC Pipe and do plan on having that be the tallest point of their tower. The rope should hang freely downwards, not tangles in the tower's structure.

Once the time is up, have students step away from their tower and put away their tools and excess materials. It is time to measure the height of the towers.

To measure the tower:

1) Stretch the 20FT rope straight down from the tallest point of the tower. (Picture 1 above)

2) Measure the excess rope of the ground. (Picture 2 above)

3) Subtract the length of the excess rope from the 20FT to determine the height of the tower.

If students where able to make their tower larger than 20FT, simply measure the length of end of the rope to the ground (Picture 3 above) and add the 20FT to get their total length.

Record each team's tower height.

Announce the tallest tower and recognize the winning team.

Celebrate everyone's effort and creativity, each team has successfully completed a difficult STEM challenge!