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PlaN:• How will Patrol Leaders and Scouters create a 30-cm-wide valley for your bridges?

• Do you want to do this adventure inside, outside or at camp?

• Do you want to do this adventure over two meetings or at camp? Where will you store your bridges? How much time will you need for repairs when you start working on them again?

• What type of glue will you use to build your bridge? Hot glue will dry more quickly, but may cook the pasta and reduce structural integrity. White glue will take longer to dry and be more flexible.

• Do you want to use any other types of pasta? How much will each group need?

• How will you form your build teams?

Do:• As a group, draft the design of your bridge. • The bridge must span a gap of 30 cm. The bridge should be as wide as the

lasagne noodles. • The load (jar of marbles) will be applied at the centre of your bridge. • How many marbles does it take to break each bridge?

CABOT TRAILCreative Expression

Spaghetti Bridge

Canadianpath.caIt starts with Scouts.

The AdveNture:Use pasta to build a bridge strong enough to cross a chasm! Experiment with structural design and engineering to build a bridge strong enough to support a jar of marbles.

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Review:• What do you know now that you did not know before?

• How did you work together as a team?

• What techniques did you use to make the bridge stronger? Have you seen these techniques being used anywhere else?

• What questions do you have about building structures?

• What elements of STEM were in this activity? Science? Technology? Engineering? Mathematics?

• What did you like about this activity? What did you not like?

• How would you do this activity differently?

• Compare different bridge designs. What makes one bridge weaker or stronger than another?

Materials:• Spaghetti (454 grams for each bridge)• Lasagna noodles (three sheets for each bridge)• Other types of pasta• Glue • Rulers• Utility/craft knives• Graphing paper and pencils• Marbles or other small weights• Jar or container

ONliNe Resources: • How to build a pasta bridge• Design and Construction of a Spaghetti Bridge

Safety Tip:

Be cautious when using hot glue and craft knives. Have a first aid kit handy.

Canadianpath.caIt starts with Scouts.