Ice Fortresses vs. Wrecking Snowballs!

This was a fun challenge for our 2nd and 3rd graders. Classes were split in to groups and half of the groups built "Ice Fortresses" out of 100 sugar cubes, and the other groups worked on making "Wrecking Snowballs" to try to knock down their opponent's fortress.

They had SO MUCH FUN with this one! The sugar cube structures needed to protect a penguin from getting knocked over after 10 swings from the wrecking ball. Makers needed to be sure that their wrecking snowballs could swing freely, be the right height to knock over the sugar cubes, and also could not be thrown- they had to use the force of the pendulum motion to do damage.

After the initial battle, teams were able to go back and "redesign" their structures. Ice Fortresses were given extra sugar cubes; wrecking balls could adjust the weight and shape of their wrecking snowballs. It was hilarious what they tried to add on- clay, metal chains, toothpicks! But it wasn't always very simple- the added weight of the ball forced teams to have to create additional support for their pendulums.

Check out their hard work...