← All lesson plans
Free Engineering and structuresArt and pattern

Bridge over a small obstacle

Build a three-dimensional bridge from two identical frames and a filled deck. Choose your own PLA colours, join the supported parts and invent a crossing for a lightweight paper character over a drawn river.

Age
10+ years
Length
approx. 80 min
Level
Easy
Where you teach
Home
Purpose
Creative
Worksheet Guide (colour) Guide (ink-saving)

Slides for the session

Open in a new window

Show them on a projector or board. Arrow keys move between slides.

Go to the files ↓

How to run this session

Stages and timing
  1. Two identical frames
  2. Deck outline and ribs
  3. Fill the entire deck
  4. Test-fit the three cool parts
  5. Four supported tacks
  6. Reinforce the four joints
  7. River and paper character
  8. Your crossing

What gets built

Join three parts into a useful three-dimensional object for play.

What it practises
  • Tracing a 1:1 template and filling it with connected strands.
  • Joining three supported parts in three dimensions.

Success criteria
  • Two frames and a deck form a three-dimensional bridge; the four joints are connected.
  • The cool bridge stands unsupported over the paper river, and one lightweight paper figure can remain on the deck. This is for play, not a load-bearing test.

What you need
Filament
PLA
Colours
colour shown in the illustration, colour shown in the illustration, colour shown in the illustration
Also
A 3D pen and PLA in your chosen colours., A transparent surface suitable for PLA; 330 × 220 mm area., Three templates printed at 100% scale, ruler., Plain paper, a pencil and scissors for the paper templates and figure.

Files

The files for this plan are free once you have an account. Download what you need and come back to them any time.

How did the session go?

Your rating and notes come to us only. We do not publish them; we use them to improve the plans.

Rate it school-style, from 1 to 6.

Version 2026-09-29 Updated 2026-09-29

Write to us