← Back to activity

Recycled Marble Run

A companion sheet — print it, scribble on it, keep it or recycle it

Voleio

What we're doing

Kitchen roll tubes, tape and a wall. Gravity does the teaching.

  • About 60 minutes
  • Science
  • Hands-on

Gather these

  • Cardboard tubes
  • Masking tape
  • Marbles
  • Scissors

Step by step

  • Tape the first section to a wall.
  • Test with a marble and adjust the angle.
  • Add sections, testing each time.
  • Time the fastest run.

Worth talking about

Gravity and slopes
Testing and improving
Measurement
VOLEIORecycled Marble RunPage 1 of 3

Record what happened

There's no wrong way to fill this in

Voleio

What we did

Write, list or draw — whatever suits today.

Skills we touched on

SkillHow it showed up

Reflect together

What surprised you about recycled marble run?
What was the easiest part? What was the fiddliest?
What would you change if you did it again tomorrow?
VOLEIORecycled Marble RunPage 2 of 3

Take it further

Three doors out of the same activity

Voleio

If it felt tricky

Three sections on a flat table with a book as a ramp.

If it felt easy

Time each version and record the effect of slope on speed.

If you'd rather do it differently

Build a water run outside with guttering.

Next time, we could

  • Try it outdoors
  • Invite a friend or sibling
  • Stretch it over a whole week

Our own ideas