Think It!

What kind of building do you want to build? Think about buildings near your school or home, or look through books and magazines for ideas.

Sketch It!

Sketch your design before you begin to build.

Create It!

Use these simple materials to build—and then test the strength of—a skyscraper.

• Building surface (cardboard, piece of wood)
• Newspaper
• Straws
• String
• Tape
• Craft sticks
• Pencil
• Drawing paper or notebook
• Tennis ball
• Fan

Try It!

Place the tennis ball on the top of your building. Is your building still standing? If so, test your construction against wind. Place the fan in front of your building and turn it on. What happens to your skyscraper?

Tweak It!

How can you make your building stronger? Try modifying your design, or build a new structure. Keep testing until you have the tallest, strongest skyscraper you can build!

Download the experiment »