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Cardboard Maze

12/04/17

Cardboard Maze

By John Haney, Science Educator

Mazes and similar puzzles have been around for thousands of years. They help us exercise problem solving skills, increase memory retention, and are a lot of fun! You can find mazes in stores and even online, but in true Tinkering Garage fashion, we’re going to make our own. Build this cardboard maze at home and use a marble to navigate its twists and turns! Discuss how the force of gravity helps the marble make its way around each turn.

Materials:

  • Shallow Cardboard Box or Lid
  • Drinking Straws and Other Objects
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Marble

Activity:

Look at the image provided to help you design your maze. Arrange the drinking straws and other objects to create a path for the marble. How many maze designs can you come up with? When you’re ready to finish your maze, use a hot glue gun (with help from an adult) to hold the drinking straws in place…..

Place the marble in your new maze and see how fast you can get it to the end!

Further Exploration:

  • What forces are making the marble move through the maze?
  • Does it help to tilt the maze one way or the other? Why?

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