Marbles racing through tubes, around loops, down ramps — make your own custom marble run from materials you have at home!
What You’ll Need
📦 Cardboard box (for the base)
🍦 Cardboard tubes (paper towel, toilet paper, gift wrap)
📏 Scissors
🧷 Tape (lots of it!)
✏️ Marker
⚪ A bunch of marbles
How to Build
1. Stand up your cardboard base — this is your wall.
2. Start at the TOP of the wall with one cardboard tube — this is your starting point.
3. Tape it to the wall, angled DOWN so marbles can roll.
4. The next tube goes lower, also angled down — the marble exits one tube and enters the next.
5. Keep adding tubes, each lower than the last.
6. Cut some tubes in half (the long way) to make ramps and curves.
7. At the bottom, place a ‘finish line’ container to catch the marble.
8. Drop a marble at the top and watch it ROLL through your run!
Design Challenges
🔄 Add a loop: Curl a tube into a vertical loop — does the marble have enough speed?
🌀 Add a spiral: Wrap a tube around a soda can to make a spiral track
🚪 Add a tunnel: Make a tube that goes through the back of the cardboard wall
💨 Make it longer: See how long you can make a marble’s journey
⏱️ Race two marbles: Build parallel tracks!
The Physics Behind It
When a marble is at the top, it has potential energy (because of gravity).
As it rolls down, that potential energy turns into kinetic energy (movement).
The faster a marble is moving, the more ‘force’ it can carry through loops and curves.
If your marble is too slow at the top of a loop, it falls off because gravity > momentum. That’s why roller coasters always start with a big drop!
Cool Marble Run Facts
🏎️ The largest marble run ever built had over 100,000 pieces!
📐 Marble runs are a great way to learn about engineering and physics
🌎 Most cardboard tubes are recyclable when you’re done — eco-friendly fun!
Engineer your own race track and watch physics in action! 🏁
