THE UNLIKELY BLOGGER: THE MARSHMALLOW CHALLENGE

Last week, the students of VA1H were presented with a challenge- to build the tallest structure possible using uncooked spaghetti, a marshmallow and a brown paper bag. The materials used for binding were sealing tape and string. We had 20 minutes to complete our mission. My group consisted of Pauline, Rita, Xiaolin and of course, me. As soon as the timer started, every group (of 4) began frantically discussing how to go about this strange yet fascinating task.

Our group started by putting down the criteria in order of priority for our model. We decided that stability trumped height as keeping the model erect was important. We got to work immediately by making a pyramidal structure which would make for a strong foundation. We then kept increasing the height by tying/taping spaghetti vertically upwards. We then decided to stick a few strands into the paper bag and pierce the top. This was a daring move because the paper bag proved to be heavier than we thought. We taped it to the existing structure and stuck the marshmallow on top. It took a lot of tape and string to secure the model but we finally managed to keep it standing up.

This project really tested our imagination, team work and perseverance. With respect to being creative, we really tried to make our model resemble a man (refer pictures attached below). In terms of team work, we discussed our strategy and ideas as a group and welcomed every suggestion and critique. We divided our work amongst the four of us and found ourselves working like a well oiled machine. This project does take some amount of perseverance as there is a good chance that the first attempt will fail. The key is to not give up, keep making changes as you proceed and basically 'go with the flow'.

Although our model wasn't the tallest, we came a close second. To conclude, I thought this assignment was a fun and enjoyable way of teaching us a core lesson about thinking outside the box but being practical at the same time because we have to execute our ideas and make it work.

Thank you,

Samyuktha Chandar