Marble Run Club
Build it, test it, change it and watch it go! 🔵🧱✨
Our Marble Run After School Club is an exciting, hands-on club where children can design, build and experiment with their own marble runs. Using a variety of construction materials, children will explore how marbles move through tracks, ramps, tunnels, twists and turns.
Each session provides new challenges, encouraging children to plan, build, test, problem-solve and improve their designs. Children can work independently or as part of a team, making the club both creative and educational.
🧩 What challenges might we complete?
Challenges will vary from session to session and could include:
🏗️ Build the tallest marble run – create the highest structure that remains stable.
🏁 Fastest marble challenge – design a run that gets the marble to the finish as quickly as possible.
🌀 Twists and turns challenge – include as many bends and turns as possible.
🌉 Bridge challenge – build a section that crosses a gap.
🕳️ Tunnel challenge – create tunnels and enclosed sections for the marble.
🎯 Target challenge – design the run so the marble finishes in a specific target.
🔢 Number challenge – create sections where the marble passes through numbered targets.
🏆 Longest run challenge – see how long you can keep the marble travelling.
🔄 Loop and ramp challenge – experiment with slopes, drops and changes of direction.
🧱 Strongest structure challenge – build a run that can withstand gentle testing without collapsing.
🎨 Creative design challenge – create a colourful and imaginative marble run.
⏱️ Timed building challenges – design and test a run within a set amount of time.
👥 Team marble run – work together to build a large-scale course.
💡 Problem-solving challenge – identify why a marble isn't travelling correctly and redesign the section.
🧪 Experiment challenge – change one part of the run and observe what happens.
🏁 Marble run race – create two or more tracks and compare their results.
Children will be encouraged to test their ideas repeatedly, make changes and discover what works best.
🌟 What do children get from the club?
Marble Run Club gives children the opportunity to:
Develop creativity and imagination.
Improve problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Develop planning and design skills.
Explore cause and effect through practical experiments.
Develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Build confidence in creating and testing their own ideas.
Develop patience, perseverance and resilience.
Learn from mistakes and make improvements.
Develop teamwork and communication skills.
Practise sharing resources and working cooperatively.
Take pride in completing challenges and improving their designs.
Have fun while learning through hands-on experimentation.
📚 What learning takes place?
Marble Run Club introduces children to a range of STEM concepts in a fun and practical way.
Children will explore forces and motion, including how gravity helps the marble move down a track. They will investigate how changing the height, slope or direction of a track can affect the marble's speed and movement.
Children will also explore cause and effect, making predictions about what might happen before testing their designs and then comparing their predictions with the results.
The challenges provide opportunities to develop mathematical skills, including measuring height and length, counting sections, comparing speeds and distances, recognising shapes and identifying patterns.
Children will develop important engineering and design skills by planning structures, testing their ideas, identifying problems and making modifications. They will learn that designs often need to be tested and improved before they work successfully.
Working in teams encourages communication, cooperation, listening and shared problem-solving, while individual challenges help develop independence and confidence.
🔵 Build it. Test it. Improve it!
Whether your child loves building, experimenting, problem-solving or simply enjoys watching a marble race through a crazy track, Marble Run After School Club provides an exciting opportunity to learn through play and practical challenges.
💷 Fee: Block bookings are £6.25 per week or ad-hoc bookings are £7.00 per session.
📌 Spaces: Limited spaces available – early booking is recommended.
Activities and materials may vary from session to session. Challenges will be adapted to suit children's ages and abilities.
