Marshmallow Tower

This open-ended building project works very well for preschoolers using colorful bendy straws or tinker toys as connectors......

....as well as for older students studying mathematics and engineering.  Try using dry fettucine or spaghetti as connectors for bigger kids.


Here's What You Need:


Marshmallows (stale ones actually work best!--but fresh will do) try different sizes and you may even be able to find colorful fruit-flavored ones.


Straws, bendy or other, colorful or plain. The sticks from Tinker Toys work, too!


Blunt scissors to cut the straws to different lengths.


Dry fettucini or spaghetti for older kids.


Lots of imagination!


Here's What You Do:


Let your kids build it any which way they want to!  Try to avoid the temptation to step in and help them or try to "make it look like something."  Creativity and confidence will be unleashed the more the children do projects independently.  My mantra is:  "it's the process, not the product!" Helping spark ideas is fine, of course.  One pre-school boy loved firefighters, so his mom suggested building a fire station.  (she let him do the actual building though.)  He spent hours constructing it and bringing in his action figure firefighters to work in the building!