Games
Straw dome
Children build strong, stable structures using straws, exploring concepts of geometry, strength, and stability through hands-on creative play and teamwork.
Materials
- Straws
- Cello Tape
- Scissors
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Checklist
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how to play
Divide the children into groups of 3–4. Begin by telling a story, such as being architects designing shelters for explorers in a faraway land or creating safe domes for tiny creatures to live in, to spark imagination. Give each group a bundle of straws, tape, and scissors, and explain that their challenge is to build a dome-shaped structure that is both strong and stable. Encourage them to notice how triangles and equal sides can make their dome stronger and more balanced. If children face difficulties, give hints such as: How can smaller shapes like triangles make the dome stronger? How wide should the base be to support the height? How can you connect the straws without collapsing? Allow enough time for each group to experiment, adjust, and complete their dome, and then let them test its strength by gently pressing on it or placing light objects on top, helping them understand geometry, strength, and stability in a playful way.
Challanges
- Try making domes using different shapes like triangles, squares, and more complex structures.
- Make a bigger dome that can fit a person inside it.
- A tent
- Something big enough for one of the children in that group to sit under
- Something a child can stand up in
- A free-standing structure that is taller than the knee of the tallest child in the group making it
- A ladder that reaches up to the tabletop
- A ladder that reaches up to the window
- A building like a temple
- A tall tower (like the Eiffel tower)
Questions to be asked
- What shapes do you think would be best to make a strong dome?
- How could we make sure a straw dome is sturdy and won't fall down?
- How much mass do you think your dome will be able to support?