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Ohio 4-H Youth Development

Ohio State University Extension

CFAES

Engineering Science – Building a Tower

Join our 4-H teens as they step into the world of engineering design.

 

What are we learning about today?

Have you ever walked around a city and noticed towers all around you? Maybe it's a radio tower, water tower, or an observation tower. They're usually super tall and skinny, but still strong enough to stay standing. Engineers are the masterminds behind these impressive structures.

Here are some words you might hear in our directions today:

  • Beam – a long sturdy piece of metal (or in our case paper) that spans a big opening and is used for more support.
  • Truss – shapes like triangles that are used in strong structures to keep them stable.
  • Engineering design process – the process that engineers use to design buildings that are strong and stable. 
  • Iterate – try new ideas, adjust them, and try again. 

What do you need?

Construction materials: 

  • Maximum 30 sheets of paper (printer, construction, graph, or notebook paper)
  • One roll of tape (max 1" wide – scotch, masking, or painter's tape)
  • Can of food (14–16 oz or 400–450 grams)

Tools:

  • Scissors
  • Ruler or meterstick
  • Pencil
  • Stopwatch
  • A hard surface (like a table)

Try it yourself: 
Your goal: build the tallest possible tower that can hold a can of food for a full minute, without falling over.

But there are some rules:

  • Only paper and tape can be used to build.
  • No more than 30 pieces of paper.
  • No more than one roll of tape.
  • Tower can only touch the table – not a wall or anything else.
  • The can must sit on top – freely, without being taped down.
  • It has to stand for at least one minute – no hands and no fixing.

Now let's think like an engineer:

  1. Start with a plan
    • Brainstorm different designs. Sketch them out, test ideas, and remember – you might have to iterate.
  2. Start building
    • Try rolling the paper into tubes or folding it into strong shapes. Think about how to keep the base stable and support the top.
    • You can test as you build, press on it gently to see if it wobbles. Try out making trusses of your own.
  3. Test it out
    • Place the can on top of your tower
    • Start the stopwatch
    • Wait for 1 full minute – no touching!
    • Measure from the table to the bottom of the can for your final height score.
  4. Score it
    • Your score depends on two things:
      • How tall your tower is.
      • How many sheets of paper you used.
    • Taller towers score more – but if you use less paper, that helps too. Finding the right balance is the real challenge. 

If your tower falls the first time, that's okay. Engineers rarely get it right on the first try. Just keep testing and tweaking. That's what the design process is all about.

Open and print the supply list for yourself!

Want to learn more?