Make Your Own Marble Maze Challenge provided by Nathalie Roy , Baton Rouge LA
CHALLENGE
Make your own version of Daedalus ’ Labyrinth for your marble Theseus . Then , race your classmates to see who can finish each other ’ s maze first !
SUPPLIES
For each student :
1 shoe box top
1 ruler
1 pencil
10 plastic straws
1 marble Liquid glue Scissors Markers ( optional )
RESEARCH Before we begin , let ’ s do a little research on maze design .
1
possibilities .
2 What do you think Daedalus did to make his maze so effective ?
3 How can you bring some of his inspiration into your design ?
DESIGN STEPS
1 On the inside of your shoebox top , plan your maze path using your pencil and a ruler - don ’ t forget to include a START and FINISH .
2 Using your scissors , cut your straws to the lengths needed to create your maze design .
3 Glue your straws to the lines you drew on your cardboard - give the glue time to dry .
4 Using markers , add mythological details about the maze of Daedalus ( for example , maybe one of the dead-end corners could contain a small picture of the Minotaur ).
5
6
Try out your maze yourself with your own marble
- time yourself to see how long it takes you .
Tweak your design as needed .
7 Challenge a classmate to a race - you can switch mazes if you want to , or use your own .
AFTER ACTIVITY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1 2 3 4
Who had the easiest maze , in your opinion ? Why do you think it was easy ? Who had the most challenging maze , in your opinion ? Why do you think it was so challenging ? Using your experience designing a maze , why do you think Daedalus ’ maze was so challenging ? If you had all the money needed , what would you use to design a maze , and what features would it have ?
POSSIBLE GRADING RUBRIC
Criteria The maze is challenging .
2 4 6 8
Feedback
The maze has a start & finish .
The maze is decorated with mythological details .
Maze builder used materials with purpose , worked safely , & cleaned up .
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