Pringles Ring STEAM Challenge with Free Printable Task Cards & STEAM Worksheets

Would you like to teach children about gravity, friction, circumference, and engineering through fun, hands-on, play-based activities while helping them build problem-solving skills and resilience? The Pringle ring STEAM challenge is a blast.

It can be used as your first lab for the school year or for back-to-school. For those who like to start the year of STEAM Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics with fun and team-building, this would be perfect! With The Ultimate Pringles Ring STEAM Challenge Bundle: Lesson Plan, Student Worksheets, Task Cards, Rubrics & Cover Pages, become no-prep and easy to kick-start.

Pringles Ring STEAM Challenge with Free Task Cards & STEAM Worksheet

Pringles Ring STEM Challenge with Free Task Cards & STEAM Worksheet

Pringles Ring STEAM Challenge

Can You Build a Ring Using Only Pringles?

At first glance, it sounds impossible: without glue and without tape, how can a ring be built just by the Pringles? But with teamwork, patience, and creative thinking, students can build a strong ring using nothing but Pringles chips! No tape, no glue, no toothpicks, and no other materials are allowed.

The Pringles Ring STEM Challenge is a fun hands-on engineering activity that encourages students to explore balance, stability, structural design, and problem-solving. As they experiment with different ways to stack and overlap the chips, they discover how small design changes can make a structure stronger or weaker.

The biggest challenge isn't just building the ring; it’s resisting the temptation to eat all the chips before the project is finished!

Materials (Per Group of 2–4 Students)

• 1 can of Pringles® chips
• Student recording sheet or engineering journal
• Pencil
• Ruler (optional)
• Stopwatch or timer (optional)

Challenge

Using only one can of Pringles chips, work together to build a complete standing ring. The ring must be made entirely from whole Pringles chips without using tape, glue, string, or any other supporting materials.

Students may test, redesign, and rebuild as many times as needed until they create the strongest possible ring.

How to Do the Challenge

1. Divide students into groups of 2–4.
2. Give each group one can of Pringles, 4 students per can, and only 1 can per group 
3. Recording sheet and a pencil.
4. Before touching the chips, ask students to sketch or discuss their design ideas.
5. Open the can carefully and separate the whole chips from the broken ones.
6. Use only complete Pringles chips to build the ring. Broken chips should not be used in the structure.
7. The important part is to put the first Pringles as a proper base
8. Students may experiment with different stacking patterns, angles, and overlaps to make the ring stable.
9. Continue testing and improving the design until the ring stands successfully.
10. When finished, discuss what worked well, what failed, and how the design could be improved.

STEAM integrations

Pringles Ring STEM Challenge with Free Task Cards & STEAM Worksheet

1. Geometry (The Hyperbolic Paraboloid)

This image highlights the unique shape of a Pringles® chip, known as a hyperbolic paraboloid. 

The chip is shown in a clean, scientific setting above a mathematical wireframe grid to emphasize its distinctive double curvature. It curves upward in one direction and downward in the other, creating a saddle-shaped surface. This clever design gives the chip its strength, allows the chips to stack and interlock neatly, and helps them resist breaking during packaging and transport.

2. Gravity

This image demonstrates the force of gravity, which pulls all objects toward the Earth. A Pringles® chip is shown in free fall in a clean, scientific setting, emphasizing the motion caused by gravity.

A subtle, translucent blue arrow points downward to represent the constant gravitational force acting on the chip. As the chip falls, gravity causes it to accelerate toward the ground. This simple visualization helps illustrate how gravity affects every object, regardless of its shape or size.

3. Compression Forces

This image demonstrates compression forces, which occur when objects are pushed together. 

Two overlapping Pringles® chips are shown pressing firmly against each other, similar to the way they support one another in a stacked structure. The contact points are highlighted with warm red light gradients to represent areas where the greatest pressure is applied. Translucent red arrows point inward, illustrating the compression forces acting on the chips. This visualization shows how the chip's unique shape distributes pressure, allowing the structure to remain strong and stable under load.

4. Static Friction

This image demonstrates static friction, the force that prevents objects from sliding past one another. 

Two overlapping Pringles® chips are shown in close-up, revealing their textured surfaces where they make contact. Because the chips are pressed together by compression, their surfaces grip each other more effectively. Small, translucent green arrows at the contact points represent the static friction acting between the chips, resisting any sideways movement. This friction helps keep the stacked structure stable and prevents it from collapsing.

5. Static Equilibrium

This image demonstrates static equilibrium, a state in which all the forces acting on an object are perfectly balanced. A completed Pringles® ring stands upright on a smooth, reflective surface without any external support. The structure remains stable because gravity, compression, and static friction work together to keep it in balance. Soft white lighting highlights the strength and symmetry of the ring, emphasizing that the forces are evenly distributed throughout the structure. In static equilibrium, the net force is zero, allowing the ring to remain still and stable.

Pringles Ring STEM Challenge with Free Task Cards & STEAM Worksheet

Challenge Rules

• Use only one can of Pringles chips.
• Only whole chips may be used in the structure.
• No tape, glue, string, toothpicks, or other building materials.
• Work together as a team.
• Students may rebuild and improve their design as many times as they like.

Engineering Thinking Questions

Encourage students to think like engineers by asking questions such as:

• How does the shape of the chip change the way it handles weight?
• What structural changes can you make if the base starts to slide?
• How can you improve your next trial based on the failure of your last build?
• How does the unique curve of a Pringle chip help it interlock with others without falling?
• What happens to the structure of the ring when gravity pulls down on the chips?
• How does changing the angle or diameter of your base affect the stability of the entire ring?
• Why is static friction important when the chips press against each other?

We've done this with 2nd and 8th grades; we didn't provide any help to kids but guided when needed. Each got their own can, and we used paper placemats. They had to use trial and error and each other's ideas. It took about 45 minutes for a few to do it. Not all the students were successful, which is ok too.

You can use paper or bulletin board paper on each table for easy cleanup. When the activity is over, simply ball up the paper along with any mess and throw it away. Easy cleanup!

 

It's always a good idea to consider food waste and food insecurity when planning activities that involve food. If possible, try to reduce waste by using only what is needed and encouraging students not to eat materials that have been handled during the activity. Another great option is to have students wear food-grade gloves while working. After the activity, any food that has been handled safely can be divided into individual baggies. Small changes like these can help make activities more hygienic while reducing unnecessary food waste.

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STEM Concepts Explored

• Engineering Design Process
• Balance and Stability
• Structural Engineering
• Gravity and Forces
• Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Teamwork and Communication
• Trial and Error
• Persistence and Resilience

The Pringles Ring STEM Challenge is a simple yet engaging activity that transforms an ordinary snack into an exciting engineering investigation. Students quickly learn that successful designs come from careful planning, testing ideas, learning from mistakes, and continuously improving their solutions, just like real engineers.