How to Make a Bridge Out of Popsicle Sticks Without Hot Glue

Design and Structure

• 1

  Look at a picture of a bridge such as a truss bridge. This gives you insight into the design of the bridge that you can replicate.

• 2

  Place three Popsicle sticks along the side of a ruler to align them in straight lines. Squeeze a line of glue onto the top of the sticks and press another Popsicle stick on top. Squeeze glue onto the top most sticks and place another stick on top of each.

• 3

  Place a binder clip onto each stack of Popsicle sticks as the glue dries. The clip strengthens the bond between sticks and glue.

• 4

  Cut a Popsicle stick in half. Align the three stacks of Popsicle sticks along the side of a ruler, rounded tip to rounded tip. Glue one stick half evenly on the space between where two tips meet. Glue the other Popsicle stick half on the second place where two Popsicle stacks meet. This joins all three stacks into a Type One beam for your bridge. Put a clamp on the sticks while it dries.

• 5

  Repeat Steps 2 to 4 to make four Type One beams. These beams are three Popsicle stacks thick and three Popsicle sticks long.

• 6

  Align two Popsicle sticks along a ruler, rounded tip to rounded tip. Glue two sticks on top of each of the first two sticks to create two stacks of Popsicle sticks. Make each stack three Popsicle sticks thick. Clamp the stacks while the glue dries.

• 7

  Cut a Popsicle stick in half and then glue it to the top of the two stacks as in Step 4 and then clamp the sticks together as the glue dries. This creates a Type Two Beam, three Popsicle sticks thick and two Popsicle sticks long. Make two Type Two beams.

• 8

  Place a Type Two beam flat on a surface and place a Type One beam parallel to it and slightly closer to you.

• 9

  Glue six Popsicle sticks into three triangles that rest on top of the beams. Make the first triangle so that the tips of the left-most edge rests on the tips of the Type Two (upper) and Type One (lower) beams. Arrange the triangles so that the tips of all six Popsicle sticks are touching along the entire track of beams. This joins the beams and resembles the side of a truss bridge.

• 10

  Clamp the six Popsicle sticks and allow the glue to dry. Repeat the pattern of triangles by gluing six sticks to the opposite side of the beams. Make the triangles on the opposite side match the arrangement on the first side you worked on. This creates a bridge wall.

• 11

  Repeat Steps 9 and 10 to make another Popsicle bridge wall.

• 12

  Lay two Type One beams side by side like a track so that the distance between them is one Popsicle stick long. Glue a row of Popsicle sticks to the top of the beams so that the flat edges are side by side to form a road for the bridge. Use clamps along the road edges as the glue dries.

• 13

  Place a wall flat on your working surface and put a strip of glue along the bottom rail. Press the Popsicle road against the glue and hold until dry. Repeat this to add the second wall to the other side of the road. This forms a bridge approximately 35 Popsicle sticks wide.

• 14

  Repeat Steps 2 through 13 to build longer bridges.