Two teachers have found a new use for humble plastic cups by teaching kids to use them like Legos.
By JANE MADDEN WELCH
Published August 24, 2004
TARPON SPRINGS - When teachers Ron Marston and Rich Smith discovered they could buy 200 plastic cups for $6.22, they knew they were on to something.
With a limited school budget, it's challenging to find indoor activities that are simple, inexpensive and appropriate for kindergarten through fifth-grade students, Marston said.
Smith and Marston, physical education teachers at Sunset Hills Elementary, came up with what they call cooperative cup stacking as part of their character education program.
Three years ago when Smith was teaching in Idaho, he was introduced to speed cup stacking, a relatively new phenomenon that is gaining popularity as a competitive sport.
"I wanted to adapt it for use in school without the competitive aspect, formal rules and expense," Smith said.
Specially made speed stacking cups with holes in them sell for about $1.50 each. That would get expensive for a school with more than 500 students, Marston said.
But Smith and Marston found that 16-ounce plastic drinking cups would serve their purpose well.
The basic designs they begin with are tiers and pyramids. The students work individually, with partners or in small groups.
"Our program teaches balance, hand-eye coordination, patterning and ambidexterity," Marston said.
"And it involves math, deciding how many cups you need to form the base of a pyramid."
Last week Smith led a third-grade class through the basics of cup stacking. The students sat on the carpeted floor in one of the physical education classrooms in the newly built Sunset Hills school.
For Hannah Rahman, 8, this was her first experience at cup stacking, but she got the hang of it in no time.
"You have to keep them even," she said as she built a rocket ship following Smith's example. Hannah's rocket was balanced well enough that she could remove one of the three base cups representing the boosters, and it still stood.
"We want to emphasize success rather than speed," Smith said.
Alex Nicholas, 8, was excited when she had 11 cups stacked up. "I did it," she cried, seconds before they toppled to the ground.
Destyn Diggins, 8, said the key to success was concentration as he stacked cups forming a skyscraper.
Marston said it's a good activity for rainy days or to get out of the hot sun for a while.
"We stress the need to work in cooperation," Smith said, as the students paired up for the partner phase of the class.
Self-described good buddies Jacob McFadden and Tony Walker, both 8, worked together.
"You have to be nice and steady," Jacob said. "If you do it too fast, it will fall down."
Tony dubbed their original creation of three levels of cups stacked closely together the "China wall."
"The kids are so creative," Marston said. In addition to the structures taught in class, students in the past have come up with the original designs of a dinosaur, snake, bouquet of flowers and even Stonehenge.
"I think kids just love to build and create things; it's natural to them," Smith said.
Marston and Smith put together a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating their program and showcasing the children's unique designs. Marston taught a series of cup-stacking workshops at the Clearwater Library over the summer. He and Smith have also made numerous presentations to area teachers.
At the end of class, Smith tooted his whistle and shouted, "Rack 'em!" All 21 third-graders quickly put their cups into single stacks.
"You know, you could build all sorts of things," Hannah said.
"Even though it's just cups, you can see the pride in the kids' faces when they successfully construct something," Smith said.
