Toothpick Tower Variations

Variations/Extensions:

As an introductory activity, give each pair of students twenty sheets of paper, a meter of tape, and a pair of scissors. Challenge the students to build the tallest free standing structure out of the paper and tape. Give the students five minutes to plan and ten minutes to build. (Note: This is a high energy activity!)
Vary the height and/or base span.
Limit the number of toothpicks that the students are given.
Challenge the students to build a toothpick bridge instead of a tower. In this case the bridge must span a specific opening (25-30 cm).
Videotape the tower testing and play back the breaking point in slow motion to analyze why/how the tower broke.