Rolling, Rolling, Rolling -Part 1

 

We've done a lot of art exploration here at kidmade so I thought we would mix it up with a creativity challenge for the engineer in all of us.

This month's challenge is to engineer the longest marble ramp you can using only cardboard and duct tape. Feel free to use chairs, tables, railings and ladders to support your ramp and decorate to your hearts content with paint,markers and fiddly-bits. Your ramp can be a straight run or zig-zag down a wall. We're looking for total ramp length.

Start digging through your recycling bin and saving boxes, cylinders and tubes. Wrapping paper tubes are great for a nice long run and I've had luck calling the fabric store and asking them to save tubes from the bolts of fabric. Anything goes as long as it's cardboard and duct tape. 

When you've finished your ramp; take a picture and send it to kidmadeATyahoo.com and include:

Your Name

Your Age

The Length of your Ramp

Some comments on your experience

A bit of inspiration, a couple of books and a link to my favorite wacky engineer Rube Goldberg.

Rube Goldberg

Raceways: Having Fun with Ball and Tracksby Bernie Zubrowski

Adventures with a Cardboard Tubeby Harry Milgrom

Roll, Slope, and Slide: A Book About Ramps by Michael Dahl

Inclined Planes in My World by Joanne Randolph

Build a Better Mousetrap: Make Classic Inventions, Discover Your Problem Solving Genius, and Take the Inventor's Challenge

 

For all of you that noticed the Part 1 in the challenge title we will be building on our ramp building skills in a future challenge.  Happy Building.

Comments

[ruby]

this is such a way cool idea, my boys will love to do this

[amy]

lovely site!