I hope everyone had a good holiday break and are refreshed for 2024. This post is dedicated to Baxter who crossed the rainbow bridge just before the holidays. He was a Belgian Malinois, Lab mix (thats our guess) rescued from the dog pound back in 2012. Although he was intimidating to some and took his guard dog job seriously he was a gentle family protecter. Our door bell stopped working and we didn’t bother to get it fixed because he always told us when someone was at the door. He made the family feel secure with his presence. He is missed.
I looked back at my posts of previous years and decided to replay this one on fidget toys. I had several students who had trouble staying focused in class. Keeping their hands busy seemed to keep them out of trouble. Cloth marble mazes are simple to make, functionaal and do not become deadly missiles in the end.
To make them I used textured cloth; fleece and terry cloth. I cut a 9 inch circle for one and 9x 8 inch squares for the others. I then sewed around the edge leaving a gap to turn it inside out. After turning it inside out, I drew a maze leaving 1 and 1/4 inch channel for the marble to move through. I then sewed on the lines with my sewing machine. These can be as simple or difficult as you want to make them.
Here are some different designs to get your creative juices going. I made the circle look like a snail with the marble moving from the edge to the inner circle. Just sew a spiral going to the center. I used a simple stitch first to make sure the marble would make it through and then used a stretch stitch to make it sturdier.
For the square I sewed straight lines.
Remember to alternate the lines from reaching the edge so you have a path for the marble. When you are finished, insert a marble through the opening and sew the opening shut. Students use their fingers to move the marble through the maze.
The teachers gave good reviews on these. They held up well and were washable. Once I got the hang of it, I could make one in 20 minutes.
