Looking for STEM challenge ideas for kids?  How about building some trampolines for marbles! Challenge kids to engineer a marble run that includes a super cool trampoline for the marble to bounce on. Can they bounce a marble off the trampoline and into a container?  Then see if they can make the marble bounce off more than one trampoline!

All four of my boys (ages 5-13) loved this project!  I could see the wheels turning while they tried to figure everything out!  Young kids will love this, but I’d also highly recommend it for middle school (ages 11-13) because kids that age can really make some neat marble runs.

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Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

Here’s what we used to build our marble runs and trampolines:

  • PVC pipe – ours is 3/4 inch (inside diameter), although the exact size is not critical.
  • Building toys – we used Tinker Toys and wooden blocks
  • Marbles
  • Small plastic cups and bowls
  • Balloons – 12 inch
  • Painter’s tape/masking tape
  • Scissors

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

My husband cut the PVC pipe in half lengthwise with a saw and a miter box.  It was slow going and it’s not perfect, but the pipes make the perfect marble tracks!  We will definitely be using these over and over.  Our sections are about 14 inches long.

If you don’t want to do PVC pipe, another great option would be paper towel rolls.

Here’s how to make the trampolines:

First, cut the neck off of a balloon.

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

Then stretch the balloon over the top of a plastic cup.  Ours are from IKEA – they are useful for drinks, but also for so many other things, like scooping water at the water table.

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

Drop a marble on the balloon, and it bounces!

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

Then it was time to get to work creating marble runs that included our trampolines!  Our first track was simple, and we used cardboard boxes to support the track.  We also used masking tape to attach the PVC pipe to the Tinker Toy supports.

In the middle, you can see a PVC pipe connector that we used to join two pipe sections.  It’s not a tight fit with the pipes cut in half, but it works!

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

Then Aidan decided to make the marble run a little bigger and better…  With this ramp, the marble hits the trampoline at an angle and flies backward into the plastic container!  (The container is under the track.)  So cool!

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

This track started with one trampoline and then a container to catch the marble after it bounced off the trampoline.

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

But Gresham and Owen expanded it so that the bounced off three different trampolines!  The marble never landed on the first one after the ramp, but if they did it just right it would bounce off the next three and into the bowl!

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

Another day, we tried building a ramp that would allow the marble to bounce off a trampoline and then back onto the ramp again.  Aidan made one that worked!  He used two pieces of ramp on the bottom section so that the marble would have a better shot at hitting at least one of them.

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

So cool!

Marble Trampolines! Engineering Challenge for Kids

Physics Concepts to Discuss

This is a great activity for learning about physics concepts!  If you hold a marble at the top of the ramp, it has potential energy. This changes to kinetic energy when you let go and the marble rolls down the ramp.  The marble gains momentum as it rolls.  Momentum = mass times velocity.  The marble rolls faster and faster down the ramp because of acceleration due to gravity, so as its velocity increases, its momentum increases as well.

Will the marble bounce higher if it has more momentum when it hits the trampoline?  For example, if it rolls down a longer ramp?

Ask kids to observe – how high does the marble bounce if you increase the height of the ramp over the trampoline?  Does it bounce higher or the same?  (It’s a little hard to tell because it happens to fast, but older kids will enjoy exploring this.)

Have fun exploring!

Marble Trampolines!  Engineering Challenge for Kids

8 Comments

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  1. Cathy Hobart Mar 9, 2017

    LOVE this challenge!!! You are truly amazing!!! Thank you for sharing such great STEM challenges that work for younger kids:)

    Reply
  2. Haley Mar 23, 2017

    That was amazing ?

    Reply
  3. Abby Mar 23, 2017

    It was hard but I got it

    Reply
  4. Ariel nelson Mar 23, 2017

    I dont get it?

    I am just kidding

    I got you,didn't i

    Reply
  5. Leslie Guhl Apr 26, 2017

    O Wow! How fun!

    Reply
  6. Aubrey W May 1, 2017

    Love the idea?

    Reply
  7. Lav May 4, 2020

    This is such a great idea!

    Reply
  8. Marylee Thomason Feb 9, 2023

    This is exactly the interactive type of activity I need for my science classes at the elementary school where I volunteer teaching science. Thank you!
    I really appreciate the questions and background science concepts you put into your posts

    Reply

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