Make A Maze
Why just solve problems when you can create them? For several weeks, G couldn’t get enough of this activity. Using craft sticks, pompom balls and a ball from a Jacks game, we take turns building mazes. The maze designer’s goal is to challenge the other player. The other player’s goal is to get out of the maze and collect all the pompom balls along the way.
You will need
- A bunch of sticks. We use slim craft sticks, but any sliver-free sticks should work. I cut some of them into smaller pieces, but this is not necessary. Simply overlap sticks if they are too long for your maze design.
- A small ball for use in navigating the maze. We’ve also used small matchbox cars, but the ball is the easiest to move around.
- (Optional) Pompom balls, or other small objects you can pick up as you navigate the maze
- (Optional) Timer/ stopwatch
How To Play:
Take turns designing/ building mazes. One person places sticks on the floor and creates paths, dead-ends, and tricky turns to form a maze. He/she should have a starting point, an ending point, and, optionally, special rewards along the way (the pompom balls). The other player should NOT be watching the creation of the maze. When the maze is complete, the other player tries to solve the maze. When the maze is solved, players switch roles.
Optional: Set a time limit to solve the maze.
G and I don’t keep track of time, nor do we keep score. We just try to challenge each other with trickier and trickier mazes. You may choose to add more competition to your play.
In Action:
Palette: 
