Divide the group into smaller teams and give them an equal amount of popsicle sticks.
Have each team build their bridges between their two chairs/tables, making sure each team’s chairs are the same distance apart. The tape is there for them to build it.
Give everyone a certain amount of time to build it and when they are done, stack the objects on top of the bridge. See whose bridge was able to hold the most and they are the winner.
After they build their bridges, you can have them build bridges with certain shapes so they can see what shape works better.
Science Behind It
As everyone is testing their bridges they will find that if they have parts of it to have a triangle shape, they will see that it can hold more weight. This is because the triangle is the strongest shape. They are the only shape that will not collapse because of geometric distortion. Have them try it out with other shapes and they will see how easy it is to push down on a square or rectangle. Here are some examples of bridges with a triangle shape:
Tips
Pennies, candies (M&Ms, Skittles, etc.), or binder clips are good objects to use to see how strong their bridge is. It would be suggested that if you are using these objects to put them in a cup on top of the bridge so they don’t spill everywhere. To make it more of a challenge for older members, you can give them a certain amount of tape.