In this activity, the team has to span the distance between the cans using only the materials provided.
Resources:
- 10 cans, unopened
- 10 toothpicks
- 10 drinking straws
- 5 paper clips
- 2 rubber bands
- Length of string (20cm)
- Length of masking tape (20cm)
- Scissors
Space Required: Medium. Ideally indoors.

Group Size: 4 – 8 participants
Total Time: 30 minutes
- Â Â Â 10 minutes to brief and setup
- Â Â Â 10 minutes for the activity
- Â Â Â 10 minutes to review and debrief
Set-Up
- Â Â Â Place the cans on the floor in a row. They should be 20cm apart from each other.
Running the Activity
- Explain the activity: The aim of the activity is to span the distance between the cans using only the resources provided. The team is given a time limit of 4 minutes to span as many cans as possible.
- The team receives 5 minutes of planning time to plan their build.
- Once they are ready, they can begin the activity.
Rules
- Â Â Â Only the provided resources can be used to span the cans.
- Â Â Â Each completed span should rest on the top of the cans. No materials should touch the floor.
- Â Â Â The cans cannot be moved.
Variations
- If there is more than one team participating, you can make it a challenge to see which team can complete spanning all the cans first.
- Increase the distance between the cans in order to make the activity more challenging.
Suggested Learning Outcomes
- Â Â Â Communication
- Â Â Â Cooperation
- Â Â Â Problem solving
- Â Â Â Creativity
Review
Suggested questions to ask:
- Â Â Â How did the planning time help you execute the activity?
- Â Â Â How did the team decide on the method of spanning the cans?
- Â Â Â How well did you communicate during the challenge?
- Â Â Â Why was cooperation important during this challenge?
- Â Â Â What could you have done better as a team?
- Â Â Â What did you learn from the challenge?
