We just can’t get enough of marble tracks at our house! I almost bought the boys a nice wooden set last Christmas, but I’m so glad I didn’t! Making our own has been more fun, and it’s different every time! Last year, we made a marble run with paper towel tubes and other items from the recycle bin, and this summer we made one out of pool noodles.
When I saw the “marble coaster” idea in the Sept. 2012 Family Fun magazine, I knew we had to try it! They used rims cut from paper plates to make the track. What a genius idea!
The magazine says to cut the rims off some paper plates. Then, create a track design by using paper towel rolls as supports. They cut their first support at 0.5 inch, then 1 inch, then 1.5 inches, etc. They used glue dots to attach the supports to the track.
Well, we didn’t have any glue dots (we’ve never tried those, actually – are we missing out?) and we only had one paper towel roll which Owen partially ruined by cutting while I was working on the plates. So, we supplemented with supports built from wooden blocks.
Note: The first plates I bought did not work. The plain white plates don’t have a rim that works for a track. Look for plates with a design on them and a smooth rim around the edge.
The verdict? It was a LOT of fun! The track was a little tricky to set up, but we easily compensated for our steeper track by adding “guard rails” made from paper plate rims turned the opposite way. We also added a jar lid at the bottom to catch the marble so that it wouldn’t roll onto the floor where our newly-crawling baby could get it. This was not an independent activity for little ones. I used hot glue to attach the sections of track and to attach it to the few cardboard supports that we had. We didn’t attach the track at all to the block supports. However, once the track was made, Owen (age 3) enjoyed rolling the marble down over and over while exclaiming, “It works!”
The next day, Aidan added on to the original track, and Dad helped him to make a more exciting layout!
This layout is not attached to any supports – it’s just resting on block towers! Aidan had a blast, but Owen couldn’t play with it without ruining it…
So, to sum it all up:
The paper towel roll marble run wins for cost – we didn’t have to buy anything for it. However, it probably required the most time and parent help.
The pool noodle marble run wins for ease of set-up. The kids can do this one totally by themselves other than the initial slicing of the pool noodles. But, we had to buy the pool noodles (not a big expense, however).
The paper plate marble run is less work for mom or dad than the paper towel roll option. It’s also cheap to make, and the curved plate track pieces lend themselves to really exciting layouts.
Aidan says he likes them all equally well. So there you have it!
What marble runs do your kids like to build?
We did one with toilet paper and paper towel roll tubes, and that was a lot of fun. I could see this as being a lot of fun too.
We must try this. Our youngest found an old very simple plastic marble run which the older children had used. This has been good for a while but making something more complex will be good. I need to check if the paper plates I have are the right design! If not, onto collecting paper towel tubes.
Awww, now that’s just brilliant!!
Great idea! Pinned it on my Recycle board.
This is AWESOME!! What a great idea =)
Beth
This is amazing! I am going to do it with my boys. We do have a wooden track, but I bet they will like this one better. Genius!
By the way, I am featuring this tomorrow on The Sunday Showcase. I hope you stop by and link up again!
That’s great! I’ll be there!
This is great fun! I know my son would have a blast with it.
This is brilliant! Marble runs are so popular in our house and I know my kids will love this! Just pinned it
Just discovered this on Pinterest, I know my boys would love it and I love it when we get to work together on a project that engages everyone. Have re pinned and am going to share on Facebook, thanks!
Instead of pool noodles (which aren’t available year round) try foam insulation from the plumbing supply section of Lowes/HomeDepot. Cut them in half like you did for pool noodle. retty cheam though not colorful. Use painter’s tape or duct tape for color and joining.
[...] Idea #9: Make a paper plate marble track [...]
i love it!!!
Um yeah, I tried this at home with my daughter and it only ended in upset and frustration! What a mess. It was too time consuming, too unsuccessful, and a waste of time. Couldn’t get it to work with their lousy instructions, and as you can see the OP had to create bumpers to stop the marble from falling off the track. We had the same problem, but also it kept falling over too! Do not try at home unless you are EXTREMELY patient.
I’m sorry that the track did not work for you. I included the note about creating bumpers because that is what caused our track to be successful. We truly built the track in the picture, and it did work! The Family Fun Magazine version did not have a very steep slope at all, and so I’m sure their marble stayed on the track really well. We needed the bumpers because we built steeper slopes.
Wow that’s such a nice idea. Why buy one when you can build one yourself?
This is brilliant. My 4yo loves marble runs. He has been since he was two. We bought the lovely wooden one. It was well worth the cost, as we buy only quality toys and I imagine we will save it for his kids. The one we bought involves so much creativity, teaches many skills and so much problem solving.
Cool idea! I’m wondering whether I can combine the paper plate idea with the toilet roll run we just built this arvo… Will have to give it a try!
[...] [in some shape or form at least]. I absolutely have to make something like this with the boys. A marble run made with paper plates! I think Frugal Fun 4 Boys might just be brilliant with this. This is just incredible. Love [...]
This is really great idea! I shared this with others in my blog. Sorry for not posting your blog linkage at the beginning because I found this idea on FB where linkage is not provided. I had added back the linkage to my blog. Please accept my apologise!
http://shinekidscrafts.blogspot.hk/2013/04/paper-craft-for-kids-paper-plates.html
Thank you so much for adding the link, and apology accepted! I found where you probably saw it on facebook – someone made a collage using my photos and then shared it on FB with no link, which is actually stealing copyrighted material. Again, thanks for fixing it!
You can make a track similar to the pool noodle track by using pipe insulation that you buy at the hardware store. Split it completely in half with a razor blade and then use masking tape to hold it together. Its really easy for kids to do. We do it as a class project with my second graders every year.