Our 8th grade science students recently put their creativity and problem-solving skills to the test in a hands-on project for their unit on motion. Under the direction of middle school science teacher Mrs. Shauna Shull, students worked in teams to design and build a marble maze using only paper towel rolls and tape.
The challenge was to create a maze that allowed a marble to travel successfully from start to finish using only the force of gravity—and land in a cup on the floor. The competition winners were the team whose marble traveled the greatest total distance while keeping the displacement to no more than 2 meters.
Students also voted for a special “coolness” award, recognizing the team with the most creative design. The project not only deepened students’ understanding of concepts like motion, force, and displacement but also encouraged teamwork, imagination, and fun.
