Chain Reaction Machine

Build a Rube Goldberg machine at home to do one silly job. Film the run that finally works.

Pick a silly final job for your machine: ring a bell, drop a ball into a cup, knock a hat onto someone's head. Raid the house for parts like dominoes or books, paper towel tubes, marbles, toy cars, string, and tape. Build a chain of steps across the room, test each one on its own, then link them. Most runs will fail at first, and fixing them is the fun part. When it finally works start to finish, film the whole run in one take.

• Date or adventure
• Half day
• Moderate
• Under $20
• Indoors

Photo prompts along the way

1. The build across the floor
2. Your favorite step up close
3. A near miss
4. The final job, done
5. The builders celebrating

Kids' version

Build a crazy machine that does one silly job!

1. Your machine parts
2. The first step
3. The marble rolling
4. It worked!
5. A selfie with your grown-up!

Checked November 2026

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