It’s that time of month again where several bloggers get together to post all things recycled. So far we have written about cardboard and styrofoam crafts. I have been waiting for this recycled material for months. A couple of months ago, Legoman(age 8) wanted to make his very own recycled marble run.
Planning the Marble Run
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If you are a regular reader, you know we love making things out of recycled materials. So it was no surprise when the boys jumped on board when I set up this invitation to engineer their very own marble run. We are big fans of wooden and plastic marble runs around here. If you know anything about Legoman, its that he loves to build and create.
He loves the challenge of problem solving and figuring out the physics of how things work.
For this project I set out a bowl of cardboard tubes ( I cut some in half, cut some along the crease, and left some in tact).
I provided him with a basket of balls of all sizes.
Bouncy Balls (Several Sizes)
Foam Balls
and Marbles
Lastly, I gave him a large empty wall, several sizes of painters tape, and scissors.
I presented Legoman with the challenge to plan out his marble run as a blueprint before actually creating and testing the marble run on the wall.
{Note: Not all children enjoy the trial and error portion, so you might have to facilitate this part with them, as I did with Bones (age 6) }
Building and Testing the Marble Run
Once Legoman finished his blueprints, he went to town…
Taping, testing, modifying. Taping, testing, modifying.
He hit a few problems along the way, but each time he used his reasoning skills to figure out a solution to his problem. The balls were dropping off… too heavy. The balls were flying… too fast. The balls were getting stuck… too small of a hole. The balls stopped moving… not a steep enough angle.
It was so fascinating to watch this engineering process.
After he had his marble run completed, he wasn’t done. He wanted to test each type of ball. Did it matter what kind of ball he used? Did it matter the size? Did it matter the weight? Would it always land in the basket?
He was curious.
Evaluating the Marble Run
All good scientist record their data, and Legoman was no different. He made modifications to his blueprint where they were necessary (in case he ever wanted to build his run again). He made a chart to document which balls were successful and which ones were not. He even made predictions as to why he thought they didn’t work.
Legoman gave his seal of approval to this recycled activity, deeming it his favorite so far. Bones loved playing with the marble run, once his brother set it up properly; making this an activity that the whole family was able to enjoy without spending a dime.
More Marble Run Ideas
Marble Course from Fun A Day
Science for Kids: Create a Marble Run from Buggy and Buddy
DIY Marble Run from Tinkerlab
Who knew so much fun could be had with recycled materials?
Actually, I did and so do several other amazing bloggers. I am thrilled to co-hosting monthly in P is for Preschool’s Project Recycle and Create. Each month the co-hosts listed below will post a project focused around a recycled material. This month was, as I am sure you could tell…
Cardboard Tubes
Each month we will bring you a new material and a new project. Be sure to check out each Co-host as they have each done something very different. You are sure to find some amazing ideas. Every month we will be pinning our projects and our favorites to our Pinterest board.
I am excited to see all of the projects this month! Last month was amazing and full of ideas, who knows what we might still come up with this month… Want to stay connected and get updates?
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribe by email. I can’t wait to hear your ideas.
Want to Join the Fun?
Be sure to follow the creator of this project, P is for Preschool, and many others of the co-hosts to stay updated each month.
P is for Preschooler | Powerful Mothering | Afterschool for Smarty Pants | Still Playing School | Lemon Lime Adventures | Creative World of Varya | Mama Miss | There’s Just One Mommy | Little Bins for Little Hands | Peakle Pie | Sugar Aunts | Teach Me Mommy | Danya Banya | ALLterNATIVElearning | Widsom Knowledge Joy | Playtivities | Preschoolers Day by Day
Grab Some Cardboard Tubes and Create
Make your favorite craft. Give your children a some tubes and see what happens. Recreate your favorite play scene. Make your own musical instruments or engineering project… the possibilities are endless.
You choose.
Then we challenge you to share what you have done with that cardboard tubes. For non-bloggers, feel free to post to Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #createrecycle so we can follow along.
For bloggers, we are offering a link-up.
Love it! Such a clever boy!
Thank you, he is pretty clever!
I love that he engineered it himself! So much learning going on as he evaluated how the balls moved and where things needed to go to get it to work!
Great job, Legoman!
He is our little engineer. He is ALWAYS figuring out how things work. Thank you!
I like that you had him start by planning. I think that my son would enjoy this too.
Thank you, I like to start with the planning for most of our building and engineering projects. Did you see the cardboard city post?
We’re big fans of marble runs too and cardboard tubes seem just perfect for them! I love how Legoman planned it all out, tested and rebuilt, and recorded his data. So much learning going on – I love it!
I love that it was so child led and Legoman got to design his from start to finish. I am sure he had a lot of fun!
Thank you so much. You know that’s how I roll. Child led almost to a fault. Sometimes it would just be easier to have it all ready for them. 🙂
That is so awesome that he designed it himself and then built it 🙂
He pretty much loved it. Played with it for weeks.
Wow he did a great job! I love that he tested out various methods and wrote down hiss findings – you have such a little scientist on your hands!
Great idea! Love this marble run…pinning to recycled crafts, too. TY, again, for sharing today!
Thank you so much!
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Love this !! Fab!
Thank you!
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