If you have any nuts and bolts left over from DIY projects, this marble maze is a brilliant way to use them up. Once your little one has mastered the current maze, you can move the rubber bands around to create a new one!
eco info
This project uses up all those rubber bands the postman/mailman always seems to drop!
If you are running short on time or don’t have a suitable wooden box you can make a marble maze from a cardboard box instead. To do this, cut down the sides of the box to create a shallow tray, then position thick drinking straws on the base of the box to create the walls of the maze. You can fix the straws into place with sticky tape or glue. Quick and easy!
Using a pencil and ruler, mark out a grid on the underside of your box. The number of squares in the grid will be dependent upon the size of the box. As a general rule, each grid square needs to measure about 3cm/1¼in².
Carefully drill a hole at each intersection on the grid. (Grown-ups only!)
Working on the back of the box, push a bolt into each hole then screw on the nut on the inside of the box to hold the bolt in place.
Now attach rubber bands to the bolts to form a maze. If you need inspiration, then search for a ‘maze generator’ on the internet and you will find a program that will generate a pattern that you can follow.
Use some stickers to define the start and end point in the maze. Then pop the marble in and play!
