The multi layers provide a structure that can weather the exuberance of kids who love to play in it. Ours has survived four days of heavy playing, plus a party of 12 active boys. Also we found that the staples, if not closed tightly, can create opportunities for pulled thread on clothing or punctured skin. Putting the tubes together with tape instead of staples was highly effective, fun to do, and means the smaller children can participate by holding the pieces while they are being taped. You wind the tape around all of the joints, following the sequence as given for stapling.
Tubes attach easily to each joint as the layers are added.
No, the student on duty that evening didn't have any idea as to what to suggest. Collect only full-size newspapers. Tabloid and insert sizes are too small. Take an issue of your daily newspaper and count the double pages. Determine how many pages you would like per tube, multiply by 65, add 15 pages just in case, and you will have an idea of how many papers to collect.