Using household recyclable items, students can design and build their own version of a ring toss game. While a more traditional version can be made with paper plates and toilet paper tubes, we challenge you to get creative with other objects as pegs and rings.

Suggested Materials
– Paper towel rolls, paper plates, scissors, markers, tape. Optional: Empty bottles or dowels, rope, other round recyclables

Challenge your arcade design skills by testing the following:
– How many different types and sizes of rings can you make? Do they all toss the same?
-What kind of materials would make good pegs for your rings?
-Experiment with different heights and sizes of rings and pegs to create an easier or more challenging version of your game. Consider putting different point values on each peg!

Resources
– Video for Younger Students
– Video for Older Students
– Written Instructions

Click here to take this challenge to the next level.

Use your maze design and cardboard engineering skills to create a maze for a marble.  Ramp up your maze by adding obstacles for the marble to avoid or extra zones for players to collect points.

Suggested Materials
– Cardboard box, extra cardboard or thick paper, scissors, tape or hot glue, small marble or small ball, markers.

Challenge your arcade design skills by testing the following:
– How can you create obstacles or holes for the marble to avoid?
– What do you need to think about when designing the walls of your maze?  Is there just one start and end point? Are the paths too wide or too narrow?
– How many different paths can you marble follow to get from start to finish?
– How would it change the game if you added more marbles?

Resources
– Video for Younger Students
– Video for Older Students
– Written & Picture Guides

Click here to take this challenge to the next level.

This DIY bowling challenge can be scaled up or down for a ton of at-home fun. Using plastic bottles (filled with a bit of sand or water) and a tennis ball, or using old batteries and a marble, create your own version of the arcade classic. Aim for a strike!

Suggested Materials
– 10 empty plastic bottles, tennis, whiffle or soccer ball, sand or water. Optional: Paint for decorating the bottles, cardboard to create walls and/or gutters. For a mini challenge, you can use old batteries and a marble, with colored tape and paper to decorate.

Challenge your arcade design skills by testing the following:
– How does adding weight to the pin change how they fall?
– How could you create a gutter for when the ball misses the pins?
– Test out different weights or size of “bowling” balls to see which is more effective.

Resources
– Bowling with Bottles
– Mini Bowling
– Written Instructions

Click here to take this challenge to the next level.

Using a cardboard box, some paper, a few around-the-house items, and a little bit of engineering, you can create your own pinball machine. 

Suggested Materials
– Cardboard or heavy cardstock, Paper, Skewers, Hot glue or tape, scissors.

Challenge your pinball design skills by testing the following:
– What household object can you use as obstacles? Can you get your ball to go over a ramp?  What about through a loop?
– Can you build a better launcher for your pinball?
– How else could you make flippers for the pinball?

Resources
– Video for Younger Students
– Video for Older Students
– Written & Picture Guides

Click here to take this challenge to the next level.

Turn your backyard or hallway into a carnival-style funhouse, complete with obstacles, illusions and surprises! Build a laser maze, design your own optical illusions to confuse your visitors, design a photobooth, or create your own obstacles! String together your creations to make an interactive fun course.

Suggested Materials
Big Cardboard Box and Scissors, Colorful string and tape, Round Glass of water, Markers and colorful paper

Tips and thoughts:
– What messages could you hide in your optical illusions?
– Where will you set up your obstacles and illusions? What order will they go in?
– How can you make each challenge easier or harder?
– Do you want to create a theme for your carnival?

Resources
– Optical Illusions
– DIY Laser Maze
– Face Hole Photo-booth
– Obstacle Ideas

Click here to take this challenge to the next level.