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EngineeringMath

Marble Delivery Network

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Grades K-245-60 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Kids engineer a system of tracks to deliver marbles safely to the right stations. It's a hands-on introduction to force and motion built around a satisfying delivery mission.

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Prep: 12 minActivity: 35 min1 session~$1/groupOne table or a small area of floor spaceBeginner-friendly

Setup

Gather marbles, cardboard tubes, foam strips and clear a small work surface. Read the Marble Delivery Network mission aloud, then place the supplies where children can choose and compare them safely.

Activity

  1. Predict what path of turns and slopes will get a marble to the correct delivery station.
  2. Build a track system with tubes and foam channels leading to labeled cup stations.
  3. Run test deliveries and discover a marble jumps the track or misses its station, then adjust the angles and connections.
  4. Complete a full round of deliveries, sending a marble to every station successfully.

Done when: Children complete the core mission and complete a full round of deliveries, sending a marble to every station successfully.

Materials

Cardboard tubes, foam pipe insulation cut in half, tape, marbles, cups as delivery stations

Shown for the Quick Start version — switch tabs above to see what changes.

Disclosure: Materials links below go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Steps

  1. Predict what path of turns and slopes will get a marble to the correct delivery station.
  2. Build a track system with tubes and foam channels leading to labeled cup stations.
  3. Run test deliveries and discover a marble jumps the track or misses its station, then adjust the angles and connections.
  4. Complete a full round of deliveries, sending a marble to every station successfully.

Standards it satisfies

  • NGSS · K-PS2-1

    Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.