Connect a Straw Structures Construction Kit

The toy encourages outside-the-box thinking, as the instructions are not step-by-step, but rather inspiration. The large quantity of straws, of both large and small variety, allow for a myriad of designs to be built. The lack of detailed instructions provides room for the user to exercise their spatial reasoning skills. However, many of the sample structures provided on the guide cannot be built with just the parts provided with the toy which might be frustrating if the user is attempting to build the sample structure. The pieces assemble and disassemble easily so younger audiences can play with the toy without assistance. The straws are slightly flexible, allowing for more creativity in design. This does mean though that the straws are not very strong or sturdy so building very tall, narrow designs is difficult.

This is a great toy to promote independent thinking. Within the process of assembling a Connect a Straw structure, the user will practice idea generation, creation of a prototype, testing the prototype, and making improvements to the design all without the specific and limited guidance of an instruction manual.

Framework Categories

Processes of Design (POD)

Moore, T.J., Glancy, A.W., Tank, K.M., Kersten, J.A., Smith, K.A., & Stohlmann, M.S. (2014). A framework for quality K-12 engineering education: Research and development. Journal of Precollege Engineering Education Research, 4(1), 1-13.