Bridge Builders – Research-Backed At-Home Activities – Bay Area Discovery Museum

Bridge Builders

How did the engineer cross the river? By building herself a bridge! In this Bringing BADM to You activity, your child can join BADM’s School and Community Programs Coordinator Marie Deiniger as she constructs a bridge so her citrus friends can safely cross a body of water – and make their own bridge right along with her!

Learning Goals

  • Build STEM knowledge
  • Come up with ideas and try them out

Materials Needed

  • Household items for building bridges, such as:
    • Bottles or cans
    • Paper
    • Cardboard or cardboard boxes
    • Corks
    • String
    • Tape
    • Books
    • Pens
    • Natural materials
  • Something to represent a river: water in plastic container, blue cloth or a hand drawn picture
  • Stuffed animals, toys, or other small items to test your bridge with

Tips for Adults

  • Before your child starts building, prompt them to think about what they already know about bridges. What are the different components? What are bridges designed to do? Ask them how they could recreate those elements with the materials around them.
  • Talk through the different materials available, and what the benefits of each might be. What would be the difference between using cardboard versus paper? How might the shape of a cork play a role in their overall design?
Support BADM during COVID-19
Bay Area Discovery Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing children with research-backed early learning experiences that inspire creative problem solving. We need your help now more than ever.

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