Marble Madness
Learn About the Adventure
Current requirements can be seen HERE as well as found in your rank manual - along with great ideas for completion.
Complete requirements 1-4. Requirement 5 is optional.
Discuss with your family or den the history of marbles, such as where and when the game began. Talk about the different sizes of marbles and what they are made of and used for.
Learn about three different marble games, and learn to play one of them. Learn how to keep score. Learn and follow the rules of the game. Play the game with your family, friends, or your den.
Learn four or five words that are used when talking about marbles. Tell what each of the words means and how it relates to playing marbles. Share this information with your den.
Complete one of the following:
(a) With your den or family, make a marble obstacle course or marble golf course. Share what you create. Invite everyone to go through your course.
(b) Create your own game using marbles, and design rules for playing the game. Share the game you created with your den, family, or friends. Explain the rules and how to play the game.
(c) With your den or family, create a marble race track. Have at least two lanes so you can race your favorite marbles against each other.
(d) Make a marble maze.
With the help of an adult, make a marble bag to hold marbles.
Marbles
History of Marbles:
Did you know that marbles have been around for a long time? Your grandparents may have played marbles. Their grandparents may have played marbles. And their grandparents may have played marbles. In fact, marbles have been found in Egyptian tombs and in pueblo ruins in the southwestern United States.
No one knows for sure where and when people started playing marbles. They may have started at different times and places by playing with stones, nuts, fruit pits, and other smooth, round objects.
Here are some fun facts about marbles:
When he was young, the Roman emperor Augustus played with marbles made of nuts.
In 1503, the town of Nuremberg, Germany, passed a law that marbles had to be played outside the town limits.
In the 1700s, people played using chips of marble, which is where the game got its name.
In the early 1900s, marbles were made by machine for the first time.
The British and World Marbles Championship has been played in Tinsley Green, England, every year since 1932, but the tradition began there in 1588.
Types of Marbles
Marbles come in many different sizes and colors, and they are used for different things. Larger marbles are used as shooters, while smaller marbles are used as targets. Here are some types of marbles:
Cat’s eye marbles have a swirl of color inside.
Taw marbles are between one-half inch and three-fourths of an inch in diameter. They are used as shooters.
Alley marbles are made of alabaster or marble. (Some are made of glass that looks like alabaster or marble.)
Aggie marbles are made of the mineral agate. (Some are made of glass but look like agate.) True aggies are good shooters because they are harder than other marbles.
Commie or common marbles were originally made out of clay. They are the plainest looking marbles.
Terminology:
Marble Games
Ringer
When you think of kids playing marbles, you are probably picturing Ringer in your mind – a circle on the ground and kids shooting at the marbles within. The rules for Ringer are given below. You might want to review marbles terminology before going through them. There are house rules and other variations which can be added. These are very simple rules to make it easy for Cub Scouts to learn the game. Traditionally, there are two players, but you can let up to six beginners play together.
Lagging
The first person to shoot in a game of marbles is determined by lagging:
Draw a line on the ground.
The players shoot at the line from 10 feet away.
The player closest to the line goes first.
The Game
Draw a ring (a large circle – usually about 5 to 10 feet across) and put 13 marbles in it . The marbles should be in a cross and spaced 3 inches apart.
Each player shoots in turn from outside the circle, trying to hit a marble out of the ring while keeping his shooter inside the ring.
If the shooter has a miss, his turn is over and he picks up the shooter.
If the shooter has a hit but the shooter also rolls out of the ring, he keeps the marbles that rolled out and his turn is over.
If the shooter has a hit and the shooter stays in the ring then the player
shoots again from the place where the shooter stayed.
On each new turn a player shoots from anywhere outside the ring.
The person who collects the most marbles is the winner.
Plums
This game is for a small number of players.
Draw two parallel lines about 6 feet apart.
Each player puts the same number of marbles (called plums in this game) on one line a few inches apart. The players stand behind the second line.
Players take turns shooting at the plums from behind the second line. They keep any plums they knock off the line.
Keep playing until time is up, if a time limit has been set, or until all the plums have been picked. The player with the most marbles is the winner.
Dropsies
This game is good for two, three, or four players.
Draw a square on the ground about 2 feet long by 2 feet wide.
Each player places five marbles inside the square.
The first player stands on one side of the square with his feet outside the line. He drops a shooter from above waist height onto one of the other players’ marbles to try to knock it out of the square. If he does that and his shooter stays in the square, he keeps the marble that rolled out, and he gets another turn. If he does that but his shooter also rolls out, he keeps the marble that rolled out and loses his turn.
Keep playing until time is up or most of the marbles have been knocked out. The player with the most marbles is the winner.
DIY Marble Maze
Get creative and make a marble maze!
You can use almost anything from an empty cereal box, straws, and glue to Legos. There is no wrong way to make your maze.
Check these out for some inspiration (links here):
DIY Marble Bag
Materials:
☐ 9” x 12” piece of felt,
☐ 3 ft. paracord,
☐ scissors,
☐ hole punch,
☐ 9” plate (cake boards also work well for larger bags or print the template on the right on to cardstock),
☐ marker,
☐ Optional:
☐ pins,
☐ lighter
no sew pouch.pdfDirections:
Evenly punch holes around the edge of the plate. The exact number does not matter but you will want an odd number of holes
If desired pin the plate to the felt. Trace it the outline onto the felt sheet and mark the holes
Cut out the felt with the pattern.
Using a sharp hole punch, punch holes around the edge of the felt circle as marked. Trim off pieces of felt that may not have been completely cut with scissors.
Lace a string or cord the holes ending in the same hole. Optional: Use a lighter to seal the ends of the paracord
Cinch the bag and tie shut.
Tip: If you have some scrap leather or suede and cording these make nice jewelry/ catch all bags that scouts can make almost completely by themselves and give as gifts. Extra supplies for leather bags: suede lacing or wax coated cotton twine and a large sharp needle.
