During the 200-minute STEAM programme, 3rd graders will develop creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, resilience, valuing people, curiosity, a sense of wonder and openness through 7 phases of building spaghetti and marshmallow pyramids. The activity develops these skills while students create models of pyramids and identify points, lines and angles. Teams practice problem solving, as well as evaluating others’ ideas and being open to them by designing stable structures within strict quantitative constraints to avoid wasting resources. Through two tests of construction (prototyping, evaluation and improvement), learners strengthen their resilience and flexibility by adjusting their designs in case of structures faltering or breaking. The project concludes with a reflection where students compare their results and use geometric vocabulary to explain their team’s success.
SPIRIT Skill Focus
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Flexibility
- Resilience
Complementary/Secondary SPIRIT Skill(s)
- Valuing people and nature (resource stewardship: limited materials, reuse, waste minimization)
Basic Information Sheet
| Age group | Student number | Duration | Number of stages | Subjects connection and relevance |
| 3rd grade (core activity; extensions for Grades 4–5 in “Difficulty level tailoring notes”) | Whole class (max ~30 students) | 180–200 minutes (plus optional extension time) | 7 stages | Mathematics – Geometry (3D shapes + Euclid-style vocabulary: point/line/parallel/angle) |
The Spaghetti Marshmallow activity is designed to get learners working together to build and test their designs with an emphasis on radical collaboration and bias to action. This STEAM exercise is a great way to push students to build, test, and iterate. This activity also encourages critical thinking by asking students to synthesize what they learned quickly to create new designs. Students must also demonstrate resilience in the face of challenges or frustrations.
National curriculum Link and Objectives
- Recognize and use geometry vocabulary: point, line/straight line, parallel lines, angle
- Identify and compare solids: triangular pyramid, square pyramid, rectangular pyramid
- Understand that pyramids are named by their base shape
- Apply spatial reasoning and geometric language while building a 3D model
- Collaborate to plan, test, improve, and reflect on a design under constraints