Straws and Connectors City

Straws Connectors City

On a nice sunny day, we went outside to build structures as part of our city development and planning lesson! We dropped a TON of Straws and Connectors on the ground and asked the campers to build around the city roads we made from special rolls of tarmac-like paper.

Straws Connectors City

What a mess! Soon to be made into an amazing sculpture with the help of a few creative minds!

Straws Connectors City

Lots of collaborating took place as some campers built off each other’s sculptures.

Straws Connectors City

Some structures required a little reworking!

Straws Connectors City

Others knew exactly what they wanted.

Straws Connectors City

These campers worked together to build a structure of cubes. They added more cubes and then at some point, realized that they needed a bit of variety to their structure…

Straws Connectors City

As soon as one of the camp helpers showed them how to make variations with the straws, the boys were hooked!

Straws Connectors City

These campers also took on the challenge and added more interest to their building design.

Straws Connectors City

More and more designs popped up in other areas surrounding the “streets.” These designs looked like magnificent building achievements!

Straws Connectors City

We all worked together to make the best out of our designs, and in the end we built a whole city of color! Later, our campers took a walk throughout the “city” to view all the great architectural designs. This is a fun outdoors activity that will last all day and make the most of your students’ problem-solving, critical thinking and design skills.

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Project Spotlight: Straws and Connectors

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What’s so great about our Straws and Connectors? Besides the colors, the simplicity of combinations, and the potential for lessons about geometric structure? Learn more below!

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There are two simple components in the Straws and Connectors pack: the straws, which come in a variety of bright and fun colors, and the connectors, which feature 6 prongs to position the straws in any direction.

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The most basic shape that students can easily construct is a square using the straws and connectors. Add on more straws and connectors to fill in the structure and turn the square into a cube!

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Explore more three-dimensional shapes and talk about their properties as students build them.

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The straws are long enough that they can be bent to make curves in the structure, so you are not simply limited to making square structures. It’s a great cooperative material as well! Students can work on separate pieces and combine them all together to make a larger sculpture. This way, children use their skills in coordination, cooperation and critical thinking to create a finished piece.

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We challenged our students to build their own projects separately from each other. Students first had to brainstorm their ideas and then bring their projects to life. Can you guess what this project will be?

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You can see how this art camper continued creating curves in her structure. This perfectly illustrates just how versatile our Straws and Connectors are!

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This art camper made a boat!

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And this is a rocket!

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Straws and Connectors are a perfect gift to your children this holiday season! Give your students the ability to exercise multiple motor functions while creating sculptures they can truly be proud of!

See more about the R6085 Straws and Connectors here:

What else can you make with the Straws and Connectors?

Do you have a Straws and Connectors pack? If so, what kinds of structures did you make with them? We’d love to read your comments below!

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