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All team quizzes & games

Problem solving

Marshmallow and spaghetti tower

Teams build the tallest free-standing tower from spaghetti, tape, and string - with a marshmallow on top.

Players: 8-40, in teams of 3-5
Duration: 30-40 minutes
Energy level: Medium
Works online: Partly

How to play - step by step

1
Form teams and give each the same set of materials.
2
Explain the goal: the tallest free-standing tower with the marshmallow on top.
3
Start an 18-minute timer; teams plan and build at the same time.
4
Teams test, adjust, and rebuild as they learn what works.
5
When the timer ends, nobody may touch the tower.
6
Measure each tower from the table to the top of the marshmallow and crown the winner.

Benefits

Practises communication, planning, and collaboration under time pressure.
Shows who listens, who leads, and how the team shares information.
Gives managers real examples to discuss in debriefs.
Turns a fun task into a lesson that carries back to work.

What you need

20 sticks of dry spaghetti, one metre of tape, one metre of string, and one marshmallow per team.
A measuring tape and a timer.
A clear table for each team.

Rules

The marshmallow must be on top and cannot be cut.
You can break the spaghetti, tape, and string, but may not use anything else.
The tower must stand on its own without support.

Scoring and winning

Height in centimetres wins; the host may add bonus points for creativity.

Variations

Silent round: teams build without speaking.
Role twist: one team member is blindfolded and directed by the others.
Compare results of a first and second attempt to show improvement.

Tips for the host

Debrief: what helped, what did not, and what would you do differently?
Remind teams that testing early is the real lesson.

Mistakes to avoid

Keeping the marshmallow until the last minute - test it early!
Too little time for testing.
Not debriefing, which wastes the learning.

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