Marble Maze Game

Hello, this is my first instructable. I am a high school science teacher. This semester I am teaching DT - design thinking for 9th graders. We are learning about the steps in the design process. This is my second year teaching this course and I am still learning the content with the students.

For many years I have looked at instructables and have borrowed ideas for different ideas and projects. The other day I was looking at the instructables site and ran across the 'contests' page. I saw the 'paper' contest and was wondering if I could create a paper-based project that I could build and then possibly have my students give it a try to.

I came up with a marble maze. It must admit, though, it is not completely constructed out of paper.

Supplies

Materials:

1 piece of Coverstock (cardstock), #110 lb weight (the maze base)

Cardboard for frame to support the maze

Different sizes / colors of Post - it notes (for maze bumpers)

Aluminum pan with plastic lid (could use either the pan or the plastic lid for base). I used the plastic lid. I purchased these at a grocery store (set of two). The lips and edges were a bit longer and wider than my playing surface of 8.5” by 11”.

Additional regular copy paper for game bumpers (4 sheets)

Marble or small ball

Tools, etc. I used for the construction: Hobby knife (X-acto), Scissors, Drafting Template with circles, Pencil, Hot glue gun and slugs, Tinkercad, Scotch tape, Meter Stick and/or ruler

Step 1: Step 1: Tinkercad the Design

I decided to make my playing surface 8.5" x 11" in size to match up with my plastic base and to match up with my cardstock. One could choose a different size, though, depending upon materials at hand. I tinkercad-ed my design and then printed it out as a 2D flat picture using a printer. I am still learning about tinkercad and am having my students learn it, too, while I learn it. After I tinkercad-ed and printed off my design, I realized I mismeasured my 'marble' and should have made my holes a bit larger. To print the tinkercad design, I shared it to my local computer and then printed it at home.

Step 2: Step 2: Lining Up the Tinkercad Print With the Cardstock. Creating the Holes in the Cardstock.

After I had the tinkercad print, I lined the print atop a sheet of #110 lb cardstock. I then used a hobby knife to start the holes poking and pushing the knife through the tinkercad print onto the cardstock. I created these starter holes at the center of all the holes from the tinkercad print. After doing this, I used a circle drafting tool to create holes of 0.75 inches in diameter centered around my knife marks on the cardstock. I then used the hobby knife to cut the stenciled holes from the cardstock. The marble I was using had a diameter of 0.5 inches.

Step 3: Step 3: Creating the Cardboard Frame for the Cardstock

Once I had all the holes cut out of the cardstock, I created a frame. This frame gave the cardstock more strength. I measured the frame so it would fit snugly on the plastic base. I taped the cardstock to the top of the cardboard frame. Several pictures I have uploaded show the underside of the frame and cardstock. The other pic shows how the frame fits into the plastic base.

Step 4: Step 4: I Created an Exit Hole in the Plastic Base for the Marble

I created an exit hole in the bottom corner of the plastic base with the hobby knife. This will allow easy retrieval of the marble when it goes down one of the holes.

Step 5: Step 5: Creating the Maze Bumpers

Now that the frame and coverstock were securely placed on the plastic base, I was ready to work on the top, gaming surface. I had the holes for the marble maze; now I was ready to make the maze bumpers. I used several different types (sizes and colors) of Post-It notes and rolled them up into tight cylinders to make the bumpers. I wanted to use paper of some kind for the paper contest. With the sticky-ness of the Post-It notes I was able to set them at different locations on the game board surface and think about routes the ball could take from the starting point of the marble to the finish point. Additionally, I could cut the Post-It note bumpers to different lengths and place them on the surface horizontally or vertically. Once I had a good set of 'routes' the marble could take, I hot-glued the Post-It note bumpers down. My starting point for the marble and finish point were marked with pictures and text at the bottom right of the gaming surface.

Step 6: Step 6: Creating the Gaming Bumpers

I rolled up 4 sheets of regular copy paper into tight cylinders to create the 4 gaming bumpers for the top, bottom, and side bumpers. I rolled them up into cylinders, cut them to the correct lengths, and then hot-glued them to the edges of the cardboard frame.

Step 7: Step 7: I Was Ready to Play

With all the maze bumpers and game bumpers hot-glued down to the cardstock and cardboard frame, I was now ready to play the game (see the videos)! It took me a few times to get from start to finish.

Step 8: Step 8: Adjustments

(1) Because I was creating this instructable for the paper contest, I was trying to use as much paper (cardstock, copy paper, Post-It notes) I could think of. However, one could make the base, too, from cardstock or possibly use a box of some sort.

(2) One could use cut up plastic straws for the maze and game bumpers. These would be easy to cut different lengths and arrange.

(3) I created my surface to match up with the dimensions of a normal sheet of paper and with the plastic pan I had available. However, one could tinkercad different dimensions.

(4) I later realized, too, that one could print the tinkercad print directly to cardstock. Then one could cut the holes directly into the cardstock.

(5) I did find it a bit difficult to cut the holes with the hobby knife. One could possible have the marble drop through 'squares' instead of circles.

(6) As with all the projects, there are ways to build a more robust game; however, as a teacher, I work on the cheap!

(7) A final note: I found a small plastic ball I use in some of my other courses. A real marble might have slightly different dimensions. The small plastic ball I used had a diameter of 0.5 inches and I cut the holes to be slightly larger at 0.75 inches in diameter.