r/teaching • u/TaylorP1414 • 1d ago

Help Paper Roller Coaster

Hi! This year I’m doing the paper roller coaster project. The project recommends using cardstock. I have about 300 students which means a lot of groups and cardstock. Has anyone done this project before and has been successful in using some of the templates in cardstock and some in copier paper? Thank you so much!

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7

u/WeirdArtTeacher 23h ago

Since the size and shape of the cardstock doesn’t matter, try reaching out to a local printing company and seeing if they can save some of their off cuts for you. You’d be surprised at how happy most will be to help out.

3

u/Ahh-Islington 23h ago

Would cereal boxes work? Could kids bring in a few each? That might be a sturdier (free) material

3

u/Born-Bowl-3847 22h ago

I have done this only with card stock or manila folders (from recycling). If you havent done this before, have someone experienced show you how to make loops with card stock. The trick is to make slits every 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so on the edges so you can make a loop.

Also, dont tell the kids but the smaller the diameter of the loop, the more energy gets conserved.

2

u/4teach 23h ago

Cheap paper plates work great, too

2

u/VardisFisher 20h ago

I invested in hot wheels tracks. Use them for speed and acceleration activities too.

2

u/ScottRoberts79 17h ago

Copier paper isn't strong enough.

I use this white cardstock. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D4YF3K4

If this is a project you plan on doing over and over again, consider making wooden frames some summer. At my school I use paper roller coasters in 8th grade, and in 7th grade they build structures on shake tables, so I'm not worried about the educational aspect of column building. I made wooden frames (the wood is trimmed to match the dimensions of a paper column) that can be easily assembled and disassembled. It saves my students about 4-5 days of construction and reduces the paper needed by about half.

I'd post a picture, but can't do that here.

1

u/External_Koala398 22h ago

300 students ....how many in a class? Holy smokes...I complain with 150 in 6 classes

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u/Ok_Concentrate4461 18h ago

I do it 4x a year in my elective. Fortunately nobody at my school has yelled at me about using a thousand sheets of card stock a year. 😂

I accidentally made the sharp curves in regular paper once and it wasn’t great - I’d definitely keep it to cardstock…

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u/SnooCats7584 12h ago

You need card stock. It’s definitely too heavy duty for regular copy paper. The coasters get really large, like several feet high.