A Lesson in Gingerbread Bridge Building
Posted on 01/05/2021
A mixture of junior and intermediate students at Ripley-Huron Community School, Northport Elementary School, and G.C. Huston Public School recently participated in a pilot project supported by the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), which incorporated the skilled trades, mathematics, design, and critical thinking. In a fun and engaging experiential learning activity, students were tasked with designing and creating bridges using gingerbread and icing with height and length specifications.
Students began by creating a plan for their bridges and then building and documenting their creations. Once completed, pictures were submitted to a judging committee and prizes awarded for the best decor, most creative, and strongest bridges.
"This project was perfect timing since we were just doing ratios," says Dana Mogk, a Grade 8 teacher from G.C. Huston. "This fit right in with our scale drawings. We even talked about blueprints! My students loved it!"
Two junior classes at Northport also participated in a virtual presentation from Skills Ontario, where they learned about the skilled trades and pathway options. It was an opportunity to make a connection to their bridge building contest, which highlighted carpentry and baking skilled trades.
The bridge building activity made for an exciting and unique introduction to the trades for students. Many thanks are extended to OYAP for providing the prizes, which included a screwdriver set, measuring tape, and a water bottle.
.png "Student balances stack of books on gingerbread bridge")
_res.png "Student holds their gingerbread bridge creation")
.png "Gingerbread bridge on display")
.png "Gingerbread bridge being measured")
_res.png "Gingerbread bridge on display")
_res.png "Gingerbread bridge being measured")
_res.png "Student's gingerbread design")
_res.png "Measurements on graph paper for student's gingerbread design")
_res.png "Measurements on graph paper of student's gingerbread design")
_res.png "Gingerbread bridge on display")
_res.png "Students proudly showcasing their prizes")