The Marble Maze Challenge is an annual hands-on learning project that provides students with the opportunity to work in the MakerSpace Design Lab as they design and build a handheld maze following a specific rubric that ends with an in-class competition.

For the project, students were broken up into small groups to brainstorm the structural design using the provided material list. The maze must be constructed using a 16-inch-by-16-inch piece of MDF, a fiber-based wood material, a 20-inch-by-30-inch sheet of foam core, and a 20-inch-square piece of corrugated cardboard. Other specific requirements included a start and finish line, one singular route all the way through, at least one bridge for the ball to go over, and at least one tunnel for the ball to pass through. Most importantly, the groups had to use the 3D printers to create a functional piece for the maze.

As the students tinkered away, they also got creative in choosing a thematic design to complete the maze. The themes for this year’s challenge ranged from carnivals to candy canes to Disney princesses and Under the Sea/water, to name a few. With the construction complete and the in-class competition ready to begin, the groups presented their mazes to a series of judges including Director of Middle School Brian Christman, Head Media Specialist Stacey Schwarz, Art Department and MakerSpace instructor Chris Buckley, and support staff Lee Ann Hicks. The judging assessment included originality and creativity of the design, functionality, and participation from each group member. The final awards were based on three categories: Best Design, Most Creative, and Best Apperance.

“The students always have fun with this project as they choose their own design and themes, but they also get to utilize the machines in the MakerSpace with supervision,” commented Mrs. Kohler.