My freshman year in college we made the coolest design project.

It was a marble roller coaster. I was captivated by this particular assignment more than any other I would do in my five year career at NC State. The challenge and satisfaction were so well balanced, and the final product left me wanting to create more. Several years later, I had the opportunity to teach middle school art.  As I thought through ideas for projects that would be captivating, challenging and rewarding, the marble roller coaster came to the front of my mind.

An important question also came to the forefront: Can a group of middle school students handle a project I completed in college? Because my class sizes were so small (5-15 students/class) I reasoned that I could help them through just about every aspect of the build if it got too difficult for them to manage. The amazing part was, their enthusiasm for the project never waned, even through the challenges. It was a long process, taking the entire school year to complete.

However, at the end of the year we had a massive celebration for the whole school community, including parents.

Our marble roller coasters were on display in the gymnasium and each student “operated” their roller coaster for those brave enough to “ride.” Long story short, thirteen years later, the marble roller coaster project is a pillar in my middle school art curriculum!