Get a free trial until June 30, 2026!
New members get access to our science units, hands-on activities, mini-lessons, & more!

New members get a free trial through June 2026!
Back > Share
Back > Share

Could you build a house out of paper?

Material Magic Unit
Lesson 3 of 4
Material Building Blocks & Engineering
4.7 (5982 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

What other materials could you use to build a house?

Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

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

Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Slide Image
Slide Image

material


1 of 9

what something is made of, like metal, wood, or plastic
Slide Image

metal


2 of 9

a natural material that is often shiny and you cannot see through it
Slide Image

wood


3 of 9

a natural material that comes from trees
Slide Image

plastic


4 of 9

a material people make that can be formed into almost any shape
Slide Image

brick


5 of 9

a block used for building

flexible


6 of 9

can bend easily
Video trouble?
Slide Image

stiff


7 of 9

cannot bend easily
Slide Image

property


8 of 9

something you can observe about an object or material
Slide Image

experiment


9 of 9

a test used to discover new information about a question
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Unit Reading

Assessments

View all extensions
Sign up now for more great lessons!
Sign up
Could you build a house out of paper?
Material Magic Unit
Lesson 3 of 4
Material Building Blocks & Engineering
4.7 (5982 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“Loved the encouragement from other students when towers did not hold. Loved hearing: I'll try again! This really helped them understand perseverence.”
· Jessica · Teacher
“Fantastic lesson. I have been doing this challenge for years with students, but it was enhanced with the videos and guiding questions. Awesome lesson!”
· Eloina · Teacher
“I love that all materials are so accessible, kids were begging for science time! I had one student that made his mom reschedule his doctors appointment so he wouldn't miss science. ”
· Molly · Teacher
“I liked how the lesson was divided up into parts. It allowed the students to practice making the index cards to stand up. Then they built a large tower which gave them more practice. At the end, they were able to use the strategies they used in building the other towers to construct a strong tower. ”
· Shelly · Teacher
“The experimentation! So many different creations, using such simple materials. We are going to use this idea at our Night of Light event next week. Thank you!”
· Michelle · Teacher
“The students loved seeing how many books their paper creation could hold. One of them held 4 hardcover books. Very fun!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“ I loved the ease of teaching this lesson and all that the students accomplished in a short time!”
· Linda · Teacher
“Kids loved "building" with index cards and paper clips. ”
· Jenny · Teacher
“The kids loved the challenge. Those who didn't figure it out in class sent me pictures from home once they completed the tower. :)”
· Carmen · Teacher
“MY STUDENTS LOVED IT! As always, they were highly engaged, and even took the cards home to try different structures at home. The conversation was interesting, exciting and thoughtful. ”
· Julie · Teacher
“I loved seeing the students enthusiasm for the building process”
· Rena · Teacher
“Kids loved designing their structures. I loved the repeating visual instructions and built in timers.”
· Rob · Teacher
“They loved building the houses. I had a student build one so strong that it held 8 paperback books.”
· Christina · Teacher
“The kids loved the building of towers! They told me to stop the timer on the first try! There was so much talking and collaboration! Loved it!”
· Gayle · Teacher
“Loved the activity!!!! They didn't want to stop. Got a alot of creativity from the students.”
· Pam · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

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

Vocabulary

Assessments

I have a Mystery Pack

Paper Towers worksheet 30 copies
Hardcover Books
If you only have a few books available, students can share.
Details
8 books
Rulers
30 rulers
Scissors
30 pairs
Index Cards (3x5)
600 cards
Paper Clips
Bobby pins will also work and may be easier to use for younger students.
Details
480 clips
Prep Instructions

Each student will create their own paper tower, but we suggest students work in pairs to share ideas.

Each student will need a flat, level area where they can build a tower without bumping into someone else’s. Desktops and tables are great. Floor space works as long as you have a hard surface. We don’t recommend building towers on a carpet.

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

12 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Wrap-Up

3 mins

Share this lesson

Student link

Google Classroom

Email parents

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Materials Lesson 3: Could you build a house out of paper?

How did the lesson go?
Terrible OK Good Great Terrific!

How can we improve it?

If you'd like our team to reply to you, please Contact Support instead.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have a question or need help, please contact us. Please consider sharing your review:

Sorry the lesson didn't go well. We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll wait to ask you for feedback until after you've actually taught it.

Thanks for the feedback! We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Is the video not playing properly?

Please follow these steps:

  1. Very rarely a video will fail to completely load in your browser. Try to reload this page to see if that fixes the problem.
  2. If reloading does not help, try our other video player .
  3. If the video still fails to play, open this video in a new tab and please let us know you’re having trouble. We want to fix this issue for you.

This episode is locked

This lesson is not included in your limited access.

View pricing

This episode is locked

Your membership is expired. The archive of past Mini Lessons is not included in your limited access.

View pricing