Don’t close this browser tab!

This Mystery is being downloaded to your device so you can play it at home without an Internet connection.

Keep this tab open once it's downloaded in order to play the Mystery.

If you experience problems, please talk to your teacher.

0% Cancel
Could you build a house out of paper?

Could you build a house out of paper?

Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

DISCUSS:

What other materials could you use to build a house?

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

DISCUSS:

How could you change the properties of paper to make it better to build with? What would you do?

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the Exploration & Activity you just completed.
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
# Activities
  • Paper Engineering: Fold Your Own Hat: Take your paper-folding skills to new heights…on your head! Follow these directions to make paper hats. Each time you fold the paper, you make it stiffer, thicker, and stronger.
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
# Watch, Talk, & Read: A House of Snow and Ice

In this video, an Inuit boy living in northern Canada learns how to build a traditional igloo from his father. (2:53, BBC)

  • Watch and discuss: Why do you think they used snow to build their shelter? Do you think it was a good idea for the boy to learn this skill? How would you feel about spending the night in an igloo?

  • When you’re done, read “A House of Snow and Ice” to find out more, and discuss. (Grades 2/3, Ohio State University)

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
# Video

Do you think you could build a house all by yourself?

  • Watch this man build his own log cabin in the woods. Lots of stacked-up logs make the sides of the house, mud fills the cracks in between, and fire-hardened planks cover the roof and floor. (4:17, My Self Reliance)
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
# Video & Slideshow

Meet world card-stacking champion Bryan Berg. Using only cards, with no glue or tape, Berg has built freestanding towers more than 25 feet tall. (That’s as tall as two giraffes standing on top of one another!)

  • Watch this slide show to see a few of Berg’s creations. Then check out this video to learn [one of his card-stacking secrets] and try it for yourself. (1:16, Guinness World Records)
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
# Spot-the-parts Challenge

Some artists use old junk to make their art. Can you figure out what bits of junk an artist used to make these scrap-metal cats ? Search online for “found art” to see other art made from bits and pieces.

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

material


1 of 9

what something is made of, like metal, wood, or plastic
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

metal


2 of 9

a natural material that is often shiny and you cannot see through it
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

wood


3 of 9

a natural material that comes from trees
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

plastic


4 of 9

a material people make that can be formed into almost any shape
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

brick


5 of 9

a block used for building
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

flexible


6 of 9

can bend easily
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

stiff


7 of 9

cannot bend easily
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

property


8 of 9

something you can observe about an object or material
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

experiment


9 of 9

a test used to discover new information about a question
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Lesson narration:

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students examine how large structures like houses are built from smaller pieces. In the activity, Paper Towers, they design their own structures using an unconventional building material: paper! Students build towers using 3" x 5" index cards and paper clips. First, they build tall towers, then they are challenged to build towers strong enough to support a hardcover book.

Preview activity

Exploration

12 mins

Wrap-Up

3 mins

Extend this lesson