Maker Maven's last STEM Challenge was to build a bridge out of straws, scotch tape, and index cards that can hold 100 pennies for at least 30 seconds! 

Wow! This was a difficult challenge that took a lot of engineering skills. The first step was to brainstorm three ways I thought might work for building my bridge to hold 100 pennies for at least 30 seconds.

I decided to use Seesaw to brainstorm my three ideas on how I might build my bridge! For those of you who don't know, Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio. It is a great way to get students work in one place and you can even share it with parents! Plus, it's free for teachers, students & families!

Here were my three ideas: 

Option 1:

My first idea was to tape five index cards together and place straws under the index cards straight. I would have used 4 straws cut in half and would end up with 8 legs for my bridge. 

Option 2: 

My second idea was to again tape five index cards together, but this time cross the straws to make an x. I wanted to make three x's and place them on the two ends and one in the center. 

Option 3:

My third idea was to tape 5 index cards together and shape the straws in an upside down v. I decided to try four sets this time for extra support! 

After my brainstorm session, I decided to build option 3!

My next post will show if the option I chose was successful. Check back in to see what happens. 

All my best,

Brianna