Marble runs are like super fun rollercoasters for your marbles! Can you make the ride of your marble’s life? Time to take the Junk Marble Run Challenge!!
Junk Marble Run: The Build
Firstly you need to get together bits from your recycling. Toilet/kitchen roll holders are really great for making tunnels for your marbles to roll through. Cardboard boxes can be used to build structures and add height. Plastic bottles with their bottoms cut off also make good tubes and funnels. What other items can you find in the recycling that your marbles could roll through or off? . Get yourself a pile of recycling and collect as much as you can to make as long marble run as you can! Make sure you have some scissors and tape/glue to stick it all together.
Remember that your marble run needs to head downwards to pick up speed but we also want to make it exciting. How many twists, turns and ramps can you put in? What places in your home make natural ramps? Do you have some stairs? Or a chair or ladder you can slope things off of? Make sure if you are working in a team to hear everyone’s ideas. Below are some examples to take inspiration from. You may want to end your marble run with a cup or box for the marble to land in for its final stop, this will mean you need to line up the run to land your marble in the cup!
For top tips on marble run building, check out this expert advice from The Eden Project.
Junk Marble Run: Get Running
Test your marble runs and see if you have any parts where your marble gets stuck and you need to do some repairing. Once your marble run is working smoothly you could allow others from your household to try it out. Send us a picture or a video of your marble runs in action.
Take it further
Time how long it takes your marble to get to the end of the run, does dropping the marble into the run from a height make it faster or slower? Do you have marbles or balls of different sizes and weights? Which go the fastest through the course? You could use a stopwatch and hold a marble olympics! Can you make your marble run free standing or does it need books/tables/chairs/the stairs to keep it up?
If you enjoyed this craft extravaganza you might like to try the Egg Drop Challenge or to build your own Weather Station!
