The Tallest Shelf for the Elf

Materials

• toothpicks

• marshmallows/gum drops/playdough

• small toy (draw a picture of an elf if you like - see the directed drawing activity)

Task

Your Elf wants to be able to watch what everyone is doing from the highest spot possible! Can you build him/her a shelf, using only the provided materials, that is stable enough for him/her to sit on?

When you're done building, place your elf on top of the shelf and see if it's stable. Record your observations when you're done.

You can experiment with other building materials afterwards and determine which materials work better for this project. Can you explain why one material is better than the other?

Record Your Work

Remember that Scientists record details - you might like to measure and record how tall your structure is!