Magnetic Pacman

Clever Engineering, Colorful Design

overview

this twist on pac-man can be adapted in so many ways. use the magnetic technique to create a game of your own design.

30 minutes

maker checklist

  • foam board or piece of cardboard
  • craft sticks
  • colorful dot stickers
    • *or colorful paper and circle punches
  • adhesive craft foam
    • *or paper straws (for the maze)
  • school glue and hot glue
  • colorful cardstock
  • pencil and scissors
  • 7 small, strong mini-disc magnets
    • *or 2 magnets + 5 uncoated paper clips

instructions

1

design your maze and map it out lightly, in pencil, on a sheet of foam core or card–board.

2

construct the maze using strips of adhesive craft foam or paper straws. cut them to size, and stick or glue them in place along the drawn lines of your maze.

note!

we cut slim strips of adhesive craft foam to lay out the lines on our pac-man board. but you can use lots of different things! paper straws or mini craft sticks work too.

3

add lots of dots!

4

glue a mini-disc magnet to the end of a craft stick. make two! if you need a longer wand, tape another craft stick to the end.

5

design your pac-man and the ghosts. glue a disc magnet or uncoated paper clip to the back of each. these serve to attract your players to the magnet wands so you can move them. paper clips work great, and magnets create a stronger bond.

note!

if you’re using magnets, you need to plan ahead. the magnets on your players need to pair with the magnets on the wands. magnets have polarity: make sure they’re facing the right way before you glue them on. the magnets on the players must attract the ones on the wand.

how to play is up to you! get creative with game rules. for example, you can use the yellow dots as landing spaces and roll a die to determine how many steps to take!

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