Tallest Tower
The Tallest Tower is a group activity that promotes problem solving and relationship skills. It can be a team-building "ice breaker" or used more specifically in academic classes.
MATERIALS: Inflated balloons, masking tape.
Activity
1. Divide the class into groups and distribute materials.
2. Teams are encouraged to make the tallest freestanding structure from balloons and tape.
The balloons cannot be taped to the floor, walls or ceiling. Different shapes and sizes of balloons can be used.
3. After a designated amount of time (anywhere from 20-30 minutes) each team will compare the height of their towers.
4. The team with the tallest freestanding balloon tower is celebrated.
5. Review discussion questions as a group.
Discussion
- What were your planning strategies when deciding how your tower would look?
- Did one person take a leadership role? How and why?
- When something did not work, how did you all make a decision to change direction or problem solve?
- What were your methods of solving disagreements?
- What would you do differently next time?