Have you ever seen a jumping bean toy? They bounce, flip and jump as if they’re magic, but the real magic is that you can make your own jumping bean with just a marble and kitchen foil! You might be wondering how a foil and a marble can flip and jump. The answer is physics! When the marble rolls inside the foil and hits the end, the sudden change in centre of mass and momentum causes the foil tube to lift and flip!
Follow the instructions below to make your own jumpy, bouncy bean!
Homemade jumping bean instructions
You’ll need
- Kitchen foil rectangle about 8 cm x 6 cm.
- Marble
- Tape
- Plastic container
Instructions
Roll the foil carefully into a tube shape slightly wider than the marble.
Use a small amount of tape to secure the foil in place and insert the marble into the tube.
Fold and press both ends carefully to seal them. The marble should be able to move freely inside the foil.
Put the foil covered marble into the plastic container and shake it around until both ends are round and smooth.
Your jumping bean is ready to use!
How does a jumping bean work?
As the jumping bean moves, the marble rolls in the foil until it hits the end of the tube. This makes the bean flip over, the marble then rolls to the other end, and the bean flips again. This is why the movement of the bean seems so strange. The foil and marble are moving independently of each other.
Extension tasks
Roll the bean down a ramp with different surfaces.
Experiment with different sizes of marble and foil tubes to see how the movement of the bean changes.
Try a bean with more than one marble.
Try one of my other easy science tricks!
Last Updated on December 11, 2025 by Emma Vanstone
