Monday, June 28, 2010

Cereal Box Marble Run

This idea popped into my head the other day when trying to think of something fun to do with cereal boxes.  I always loved marble runs when I was a kid, and this one was very easy to make.  Jack and Tess really loved it too.  We had to go finish off some more cereal so I could make one for each of them.

To make one, first tape the lid of the box shut, and then using a knife, cut off the front panel.  Leave a little ledge on the bottom to keep the marbles from rolling out everywhere.  Then take the detached front panel and cut it into three strips.  Bend them at the ends and cut a notch on one side for the marble to run through.  Next I took a little extra cardboard from another cereal box and folded the end of it and taped it onto the bottom (see photos).  The folded end makes the marble run tilt back a little bit so the marble goes down the holes and doesn't fall out of the box.  Finally, tape the strips into the box and cut a little hole at the top to drop the marble through.  Then go find some marbles!

59 comments:

  1. So simple yet so cool. What kid - or adult! - doesn't love marbles! Going to give that a roll today :)
    Thank you!

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  2. super great project! it actually made me laugh out loud. :) so simple, so perfect. just checked - we're such cereal eaters, we've got four collapsed boxes in the recycling! now if i could just remember where we packed the marbles...

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  3. Love it! Made already a couple of posts of your projects, for kids and grown up Kids!!! jaja, thanks for sharing them!

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  4. What a nice cereal box marble-run! Bravissimo! I also made one:
    http://pollon72.blogspot.com/2010/05/fagioli-e-pista-per-palline.html
    Claudia (from Italy)

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  5. This is wonderful! We will hopefully be making this very soon. My boys will love it! Just for fun, here's a link to the cardboard marble run I made for my boys and posted a couple weeks ago. It is also fun and getting a lot of play.
    http://saltandchocolate.blogspot.com/2010/06/cardboard-marble-runs.html

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  6. I need to look in the thesaurus... brilliant and clever are so overdone in my comments... also glad to see you are eating organic ;)

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  7. 2 boys + about a 100 marbles = THANK YOU for this idea !!!!!

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  8. Another must do craft! I have the box, but now I need to find some marbles. Can you believe there are none in this house?

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  9. Thanks so much! Yeah, marble runs are a lot of fun to make! There's something very intriguing about marbles, especially for kids.

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  10. Awesome! Three of my boys are playing with ours now! Thanks for the idea.

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  11. I can't wait to try these for my kids!! Thanks for the idea!! Keep them coming...Please! :)

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  12. Simple and so fun. Thanks for the idea.

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  13. I just stumbled onto your site...wow these pics are amazing! I love the idea!

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  14. Love it! We'll definitely have a marble run in our home very soon. Thanks so much for sharing another amazing idea!

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  15. so simple and it is genious! we have a lot of marble runs, but we will start making this immediately! thank you.
    greetings from austria.
    sabine

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  16. We'll be making this tomorrow! I just found you (sometimes I astound myself at how slow I am) and have gone through pages of your blog and you're brilliant! Thank you for being here.

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  17. Wow!! when i was child I used to play with boxes, but i never did anything so cool!

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  18. this is awesome! i found your blog via uauage, and i'm adding you to my blogroll right now. love your blog!

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  19. Wow! So simple and so cool!
    * went to the shops to buy some marbles :)

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  20. Beautiful!! My kid said I want it!! Now I must do it!! lol Thank you!!

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  21. what an amazing blog!!! everything is beautiful! I'll try to build this marble run for my girls: great idea! I'll come again! (sorry for my bad english, I'm french!!!!!)

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  22. et hop:
    http://teatextandfun.canalblog.com/archives/2010/07/16/18584000.html#comments

    thanks for this good idea!!! ;)

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  23. Thanks everybody!

    nesto - Awesome marble run! Two stories tall! I have to try that! Thanks for posting the photos.

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  24. a "girls" marble run!!! ;) thanks YOU to share ;) and me it's not so beautiful!!! but it's works and my girls are happy to play with it ;)

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  25. This project made me your follower - LOVE IT!

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  26. im totally stoked about your ideas. cant wait till my son is old enough to play with the "madebyjoel" toys. really love it !!

    + one follower

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  27. Another one I have to do with my class!

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  28. Thanks to you and Swiss Miss, one rainy day afternoon saved.

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  29. And one more:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/piratemode/4863339273/
    Thanks!

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  30. Awesome! Totally making this tomorrow.

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  31. You are AWESOME for this!

    It's been raining for like a week at least, it's the school hols. I have two young children. Thank you!! :D

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  32. This is fantastic! Also...we love that cereal :)

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  33. This is grat! Tahnk you!
    and here is mine:
    http://bawimy-sie.blogspot.com/2010/08/roler-coaster.html

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  34. Thanks everybody! I love seeing all of your marble runs!

    Jo - Wow! That looks so fun! I really want to play it!

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  35. I wrote about marble runs recently on my blog (http://www.thebookchook.com/2010/09/construction-ideas.html ) and will link to your great idea in a new post soon about cardboard boxes. Thanks for sharing!

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  36. Hi Joel,

    I'm happy to tell you my kids had a lot of fun with the marble run. We made a big one, using a toys box, and I can still hear them roaring with laughter.

    You can have a look here: http://diariodelosgranjeros.blogspot.com/2010/10/un-juguete-efimero.html

    Thanks!

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  37. Loved visiting the site! Thanks for sharing the post!

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  38. My 7 year old reminded me tonight that he needed to make a project for school tomorrow using recycled materials to make something new. Thank goodness I stumbled across your site a month ago! I immediately remembered your recycled cereal box marble run. It turned out awesome and my son has had a blast playing with his "project". Thanks so much for saving us from a long night! LOL Love your ideas!

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  39. I was so delighted to discover your site via my sister who sent me the fabric nesting dolls from etsy. I stayed up last night reading every project from 2010! This morning, my 4-year-old and I constructed the marble run -- he's playing with it now, experimenting with tilting the box against the wall slightly and lining up the marbles against his finger "brake" before pulling his finger away so they all flow in at once while shouting "yeah, baby!"

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  40. I try to make thant with my godson, he´s a marble fan, and i think will be a great game for him. thanks for the game and congratulations for your blog and your work.

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  41. Hello Joel, I'm a fan from Singapore. Just wanted to say THANK YOU! for sharing this ingenious toy. I made it for my boys and they love it! :)

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  42. What a great, easy project! My son said he wanted to make it, I read your tutorial and 10 min later he had his new favorite toy! I found your blog through Kids Create.

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  43. This is great. Officially a fan of this blog. LOVE.

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  44. I'm blown away... Cannot wait until my little one is big enough not to want to eat marbles! Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic ideas!

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