Marble Runs- Full STEAM Ahead!

I just had to sneak in a quick post to share my students' completed marble runs that I mentioned in March's Show and Tell Tuesday post. This was such a wonderful STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Art) project, full of thinking, fun, and learning, probably the best one that we've completed all year. I found some really helpful tips for conducting this activity over at Teachers Are Terrific.

Here you can see my kiddos as they work on their creations. The objective was to create the longest (in seconds) marble run with these constraints:

1. The run must be at least two feet tall.
2. It can only be constructed of the materials that your teacher provides (cardboard tubes, masking tape, cardboard sheets, cardstock.
3. The run must contain at least one complete turn.
4. A portion of the run must be open/visible.
5. The marble must be caught in a small cup (Play-doh container).

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Partners had to decide who was going to take home the completed run. This was not always an easy decision. There were some creative methods for determining the owner. Once the projects arrived home many were tweaked or reworked entirely. It's great when schoolwork finds its way home so the learning continues. A few of the runs have even found their ways onto student Instagram accounts. LOVE IT!