Model Bridge Workshops

~ portercounty4h

Level A Model Bridges Workshop

                A Model Bridges workshops will be held for Level A (grades 3 and 4)  on Tuesday, April 22, from 6-8 p.m. at the Expo East building second level.  

                This workshop will be for all 4H’ers in the model bridge project that are in grades 3 and 4.  They will be building the popsicle stick bridge at the workshop.  Parents are encouraged to attend and participate.  We will build most of the bridge at the workshop and explain how the project works. 

Things to bring:

  1. Your Project Manual with bridge drawing.
  2. One bridge-building kit.  Kits are available for purchase at the 4-H Extension office. 
  3. A shoe-sized box is also nice to have for carrying your bridge home as the glue dries.  Everything else will be provided at the workshop.  .

Level B Model Bridges Workshop

                A Model Bridges workshop will be held for Level B (grades 5 and 6)  on Thursday, April 24, from 6-8 p.m. at the Expo East building second level.  

                This workshop will be for all 4H’ers in the model bridge project that are in grades 5 and 6.  They will be building the Pratt Truss style bridge at the workshop.  Bring the complete bridge kit to the workshop and we will cut the wood pieces in the workshop.  Parents are encouraged to attend and participate.  We will build most of the bridge at the workshop and explain how to finish it at home. 

Things to bring:

  1. Your Project Manual with bridge drawing.
  2. One bridge-building kit.  Kits are available for purchase at the 4-H Extension office. 
  3. A shoe-sized box is also nice to have for carrying your bridge home as the glue dries.  Everything else will be provided at the workshop. 

Level C and D Model Bridges Workshop

                A Model Bridges workshop will be held for Levels C (grades 7 and 8) and D (grades 9 through 12)  on Thursday, May 1, from 6-8 p.m. at the Expo East building second level.  

                This advanced workshop will be for all 4H’ers in the model bridge project that are in grades 7 and above.  We will discuss bridge designs, judging criteria, bridge efficiency, connections, glues, and the forces of a bridge members.  We will watch videos of past bridge breakings and discuss the weak points of the bridge. Bring your design ideas.  Parents are encouraged to attend. This will be mainly a lecture and discussion workshop and not a bridge building workshop.   

Things to bring:

  1. Original bridge design to scale on paper.
  2. Wood pieces to experiment with. 
  3. Different glue types to experiment with.

The project manual is available on this website under “Links & Info” then “4-H Record Sheets, Manuals, & Forms” . For more information, call Kevin Pressel, Model Bridges superintendent, at 219-794-5958.  You can also email questions to kevinmpressel@gmail.com

Leave a comment