In the story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice was invited by the Queen of Hearts to play a game of croquet. However, unlike ordinary croquet, which is played with mallets and balls, this “curious” game included live hedgehogs balls, live flamingo mallets, and soldiers doing acrobatics to make the arches. Can you imagine playing such a crazy game? In today’s activity, you’ll create your own wacky croquet ground — first a mini-version, and then, if you’d like, an extra-large version!
SUGGESTED MATERIALS
- Ruler
- Marbles
- Paper clips
- Pencil
- Miscellaneous recycled materials: Toilet paper tubes, popsicle sticks, yogurt containers, etc.
- Large ball (basketball or larger)
- Tape
TRY IT!
- To begin your design work, experiment with rolling marbles. Roll them down a ruler or a book, up a paper towel tube and across the floor. Try adjusting the height of the ruler or book. What seems to make the marble go farther?
- Now that you’ve experimented, design your own croquet course! Use a pencil to create a mallet, paper clips as wickets, and rulers and books to create hills. Add in any other materials you’d like. Remember, this is a crazy croquet course, so you can make up your own rules too!
- Now that you’ve made a mini version of a croquet ground, try designing a giant croquet course. Maybe it will take up your whole living room! Ask your family members to play croquet with you!
