Today we’re featuring one of the favorite activities at Noggin Builders: marble roller coasters! This exercise in engineering and physics is a great project because it requires very little set up and results in hours of entertainment for kids and adults alike!
You will need:
-foam insulation tubing, cut in half lengthwise
-masking tape
-marbles
-cups
The possibilities are endless with these roller coasters, so challenge yourself to really think creatively as you build! Walls, tables, chairs, brooms, and couches can all be useful supports or arenas for your coaster’s track. Don’t limit yourself to hills and turns — add in loops and corkscrews, too!
Noggin Builders tips for your roller coaster building:
-Make sure your tape is always smooth when connecting tubes together or taping to a wall:
-Tape a cup onto the end of your track to catch your marble as you test:
-If your marble keeps jumping off your track and you can’t figure out why, take a slow motion video of it in action to find the problem.
Can you make a crazy coaster? Or a coaster that moves a marble across an entire room?
