The Museum is currently closed for general admission

Now accepting reservations for private Small Group Visits starting in May 2021

Small Group Visits

Newspaper Engineering

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Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see new activities daily. Questions? Contact Education Manager Megan Smead at megan@vadm.org.

Supplies
  • Newspapers
  • Masking Tape
Instructions:
  1. Roll a newspaper sheet into a tube and secure with tape.
  2. Experiment with other ways to shape your newspaper sheets. (For example: fold accordion style, crumple into a ball, etc.)
  3. Use tape to attach your newspaper shapes together to form a structure.
  4. What can you build? Try following the Engineering Design Process.
Age Adjustments
  • Younger Children:
    • Suggest structures to build, like a house for a doll, a garage for a car, or a skyscraper.
    • Practice counting by asking how many tubes they used to create their structure.
  • Older Children:
    • Try building a replica of a famous structure, like the Eiffel Tower or the Parthenon.
    • Present a challenge to complete: Who can build the tallest tower? Can you build a structure that holds a book 12 inches off the ground? Can you build a structure that you fit inside?
Support the Museum

The Virginia Discovery Museum is a vital nonprofit community resource but has remained closed for in-person visits since March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consider a donation to support us during this uncertain time. Donate Now