A truss is a structure made up of triangles. Triangles are naturally strong shapes because they don’t change their shape when pushed (compressed) or pulled (tensed) making truss bridges stable across long distances. Read more about this type of bridge and others in our Building Bridges Activity Guide, then create your own truss bridge and see what it can hold up!
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Materials: 30 round toothpicks ▪ 5 pieces dry spaghetti ▪ 25 gumdrops or air dried mini–marshmallows
Step 1: Using the truss template on the next page, create one side of your bridge by poking the toothpicks into the marshmallows. Make another to be the other side of your bridge.
Step 2: Connect the two sides with toothpicks across the top and bottom.
Step 3: Add spaghetti X’s into the squares on the top and bottom of your bridge to make those sections stronger. Measure the spaghetti to be the right length to poke into the corner marshmallows and snap gently at that spot.