On Friday we did our first structure, function, and design exploration.  We began by reading Jack and the Beanstalk.  Children drew Jack's beanstalk and we talked about its function for Jack.  We also looked carefully at its structure, noticing what characteristics made it particularly useful for climbing. Next students were introduced to their challenge- using 10 pipe cleaners (and nothing else) they needed to build the tallest bean stalk they could.  Before they began building they had an opportunity to ask questions that might help with their understanding of the challenge.  Some questions were, "How will we make it stand up?" and "How can we put the pipe cleaners together?"  We had a few minutes to brainstorm around these questions and then children sketched ideas for their own beanstalks.  Finally, they were given time to build.  This was a great opportunity to work through frustration with problem solving and perseverance!