This is a roller coaster model that is educational and a game all at once. It uses a material called oak tag, which is similar to poster board and can be found at hobby or craft stores. Give a child or a group of children some oak tag, tape, a cup and a single marble. Have her cut up the oak tag and make a roller coaster using the tape. Books or a staircase can be used to hold up the hills; simply place them underneath the oak tag. The cup will be placed at the end for the marble to land in. Award three points for a u-turn, five points for a loop, one point for each time a marble must travel up a hill and ten points if the marble lands in the cup at the end. The person or team with the most points wins.
Instead of building a roller coaster to learn, facts about roller coasters can be learned instead. This will drastically cut down on costs because the only material needed is paper. Print out the Roller Coaster Fact Sheet and give each child a copy. Print out one answer key to keep for yourself. Allow them to peruse the Roller Coaster Database or any other coaster-related websites to answer the questions and fill the answers in. Compare their answers with the answer key. Prizes can be awarded for those who answered all or the most correctly.
Design is of the utmost importance when building a roller coaster. If the design is not right, it can render the coaster boring or, in extreme cases, dangerous. See if your child or children can design a proper coaster. Have each child navigate to the Learner.org Design a Roller Coaster Page. Guide them through each step as they choose the height of the first hill, the shape, and so on. At the end, the program will tell you both the fun and safety rating of your coaster design. Have the kids keep trying different combinations until they come up with one with a high fun and safety rating.
Pipe cleaners are very inexpensive and you may already have some in your home or classroom. Pass out a set of pipe cleaners to either an individual or a group of children. Have them bend and shape the pipe cleaners so that they form a roller coaster. Each pipe cleaner can be tied to the end of the next one for one continuous track. At the end, the person with the most creative design can be rewarded if you so desire.