Maze vs Labyrinth: What's the difference? Blocked paths vs continuous paths. Yup that's all. The other big difference is how they are used.
Labyrinths have been used for centuries. They were frequently seen in garden landscapes, monasteries, and Cathedrals. Today they can be found in parks, hospitals, church or court yards. Anywhere a contemplative atmosphere is desired. True labyrinths only have one route and contain no wrong turns. They aren't meant to be puzzles; they are meditations and paths.
Labyrinths on paper are frequently used to develop pencil control and focus. Any path with curves and without a dead end could be considered a Labyrinth. Simple forms of these are frequently used with younger children.
Mazes, on the other hand, are completely different; they may have only one correct path, and are designed to make the user think, remember and plan by hitting a dead end or getting lost and needing to backtrack.
Paper mazes with many twists, turns and blocked paths may be a challenge for the older student. They need to be able to focus for longer lengths of time, recognize a dead end and understand the concept of back tracking and trying a different route. | | Let's draw a classic labyrinth
Begin with a large plus sign leaving enough space for additional lines. Add a dot in each section. Numbers are for clarity of directions and are optional. We are creating a curved path so be sure all of your lines are arch-like.
Time to connect the dots - BACKWARDS. Draw all lines around the top, counterclockwise: without crossing lines. So # 1 connects to # 8; #2 goes to #7, etc. try to keep lines evenly spaced .
Drawing mazes with and without erasing:
Simple mazes may appear to be easy enough to create. More complicated ones can be a challenge. Begin by drawing a square with openings for Start and finish. Notice that this creates 2 separate lines. Creating a maze now is easy as long as you follow these two rules. Rule1: All new lines must originate only from either of these lines and must not end on a line. Rule 2: New lines can pass each other but NEVER intersect. Now add squiggles, spirals, crooked lines, whatever just follow the rules. Done!
Another method: Draw concentric shapes gradually getting larger. Then erase lines to create opening for start/finish and to get between levels. | | Other DYI maze ideas:
- Take a box lid. Glue tongue depressors, cardboard rolls, toothpicks, chopsticks, clay etc to make walls and paths.
- Use hot glue on a piece of felt or other fabric.
- Try paths with cotton balls, pompoms, gum balls, marbles, etc.
- Draw a path on cardboard, place a paper clip in the maze, use a magnet Under the board to maneuver the paperclip through the maze.
- use LEGO's
Mazes from Pocket Full of Therapy:
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