Bridges

Look around your city and find the six different types of bridges. Look by highways, over rivers, around waterfronts, in gardens and parks. Photograph and sketch the bridges in your journal, labeling their type and use. The areas underneath some bridges have become makeshift shelters and homes for homeless people, and the undersides of bridges all around the world are often spots of prevalent graffiti. Choose one of your city bridges and improve the area underneath by planting a garden, creating a sculpture, imagining a new shelter.

Respect a bridge!

Bridges are everywhere, large and small. Collect photos of bridges from around the world, sketch their form and structure, categorize them and create a chart of the six main bridge types.

Bridges connect us around the globe!

In this activity, you will attempt to find and share, with your class, the world’s oldest bridge, the world’s tallest bridge, the longest spanning bridge, the bridge that carries the most traffic. It’s a bridge treasure hunt!

Wander the world and find your bridge!

• What is a bridge designed for?
  • trains
  • pedestrians
  • road traffic
  • all of the above
• The first bridges were made by humans.
  • true
  • false
• How many main types of bridges are there?
  • five
  • six
  • seven
• Design of bridges varies depending on the materials of the bridge.
  • true
  • false
• The first bridges made by humans were spans of steel and concrete.
  • true
  • false