Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

[School Festival] Let's build a roller coaster!

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

When it comes to popular attractions at school festivals, roller coasters are a top pick!

You might wonder, “Can amateurs really build a roller coaster?” Surprisingly, quite a few students make their own.

In this article, we’ll introduce ideas for roller coasters you can build yourselves.

The common approach is to set up desks and chairs as the base, create a wooden track, and let a cart with casters glide along it.

Some even make motorcycle-style versions or use CG visuals to simulate a roller coaster.

Keep safety in mind and create an attraction everyone can enjoy together!

[School Festival] Let's Build a Roller Coaster! (1–10)

Virtual roller coaster

At the school festival, a homemade virtual roller coaster

Virtual roller coaster

You might want to build a roller coaster, but it can be difficult due to location, budget, or regulations.

In that case, I recommend trying a virtual roller coaster.

A virtual roller coaster is an attraction where you sit in a moving seat and watch footage from the perspective of someone riding a real roller coaster—similar to VR.

If you add features like fans to create wind, you can make the experience feel even closer to the real thing.

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A roller coaster with fun ups and downs

@rollercoaster002
It was super fun!!roller coaster Roller coaster Cultural Festival Handmade Roller Coaster 11th grade I tried making a roller coaster #rollercoaster #DIY youth Companions It was fun.Drama Inspiration Architecture student #Monozukuri High school student work Translation Safety Hobbies
♬ The rising EDM – Kazumasa Okamoto

One of the biggest appeals of roller coasters is the ups and downs.

Many people probably enjoy that floating sensation when you’re dropping.

That’s why it’s a great idea to design with the theme of “fun ups and downs.” To let riders enjoy the vertical movement, you’ll need to raise and lower the track.

It takes more effort than a coaster that only descends from the top, but in return, people can experience a ride quality similar to an amusement park.

Because the structure requires starting from a high point, be mindful of ceiling height when indoors.

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A roller coaster running over a fountain

A handmade roller coaster at the school festival — Aichi High School (Chikusa Ward, Nagoya)

A roller coaster running over a fountain

At school culture festivals, it’s common to build roller coasters in classrooms or gymnasiums, but why not go bold and create a course that runs under the open sky? In this idea, the track is set up outdoors, and along the way it passes through a fountain so riders can feel the spray.

If your campus has a fountain, consider copying this concept.

Installing a new water source just for a roller coaster would be tough in terms of budget and time, but using what’s already there is simple and could give riders a little extra thrill.

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[School Festival] Let's Make a Roller Coaster! (11–20)

VR Coaster

If you want to create a roller coaster that’s different from the rest, this VR coaster is recommended.

The idea is to produce a first-person video from the perspective of riding the coaster, wear VR goggles, and then ride the roller coaster you built while watching that video.

You’ll need both analog and digital production—building the coaster and creating the video—but be sure to split up the tasks with your classmates and take on the challenge of making a high-quality VR coaster.

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A roller coaster that also goes backward

@shishijifes_official
We built a roller coaster for the school festival! Please come and ride it!Cultural Festival High school student Shishiji Festival Setagaya Gakuen #Aoharu youth #jk Go viral
♬ The Raiders March Indiana Jones Theme (From Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”) – Geek Music

If you want to make riders even more scared, here’s an idea: a roller coaster that also runs backward.

The concept is to add inclines at both the start and finish points so that, after reaching the end, the train rolls back and runs in reverse.

It could be fun to model it after famous backward coasters like USJ’s “Hollywood Dream – The Ride: Backdrop.” If you’re interested, try looking for blueprints or explanatory pages that you could replicate.

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two-seater roller coaster

@2154918064
Cultural Festival Roller coaster Recommendation FriendUnchain
♬ TONARINO TOTORO – Sumi Shimamoto

When it comes to roller coasters, one of the best parts is throwing your hands up and getting scared together with the people in front of and behind you.

With that in mind, I recommend two-seater roller coasters.

This idea involves designing the vehicle—the part where guests sit—for two people.

The structure becomes more complex than a single-seater, but the added weight offers the advantage of making it easier to reach higher speeds.

Also, since a two-seater forms a rectangle, it opens up more design possibilities.

Using a car as a motif could be really fun, too.

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Roller Coaster “Jurassic Park”

@masshu.hyogo
The school festival was so much fun.Cultural Festival #JurassicPark roller coaster High school student If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
♬ Theme – From “Jurassic Park” / Live At Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles / 2019 – Los Angeles Philharmonic & Gustavo Dudamel

When it comes to roller coasters, the sense of world-building and storytelling is important too.

I recommend theming your ride around a movie or anime, or creating a parody of an existing coaster.

For example, you could theme it after the movie Jurassic Park.

Place props and play music so guests can fully immerse themselves in the world.

You could even parody a coaster that runs over water and, instead of real splashes, use water guns to spray guests.

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