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Description

Design and make a model vehicle, then have a race. You’ll have to work together to problem solve if you want to win!

Resources

Paper drinking straws
PVA glue
Scissors
Sticky tape
Wooden skewers
Bottle lids or wooden wheels
Cardboard boxes
Working wheels sheet

Instructions

Before you begin
You could ask everyone to collect bottle lids and boxes at home.
Put all of the materials in one place (for example, on a big table) so everyone can see them easily.
Design it
Everyone should look at the ‘Working wheels’ sheet, and the person leading the activity should help everyone understand the two different ways to make working wheels.
Split into teams of six.
Try to make sure each team has a mixture of skills and personalities. Make sure you have a helper for each team.
Each team of six should talk about the sort of wheeled vehicle they’d like to make. For example, they could choose a car, a moon buggy, or an emergency service vehicle.
Each team of six will build three versions of their vehicle, then choose one to enter into the final race. Each team of six should split into three pairs; each pair will make one vehicle.
Each pair should think about their specific design (including how they’ll make their working wheels), and make a list of the materials they’ll need to build their vehicle.
Each pair should visit the materials and take what they need. They should think about everyone else too, and make sure they leave plenty of materials for others.
Make it
Each pair should start by making and testing their wheels. They can ask a helper to help them with the tricky bits (such as making holes and gluing).
Each pair should make the main body of their vehicle.
Each pair should attach their wheels to the main body of their vehicle. They should make sure they attach it in the right way, depending on the wheels they chose to make. Does their axle need to spin, or stay still?
Each team should test all three of their finished models. It’s OK if they don’t work perfectly first time; part of model-making is finding problems and solving them. Everyone should work together and share ideas to make all of the vehicles as good as they can be.
Each team should decide which of their three vehicles they’ll enter in the final race. They should choose the one they think will be fastest.
Race it
Each team should choose one person to race the team’s model. Everyone else should watch the race as a spectator, and cheer on their team.
The person leading the game should set up the race. They may mark a start line using chalk or masking tape, or they could even make a ramp for everyone’s vehicles to travel down.
Racers should take it in turns to set their vehicles off. If there’s a ramp, everyone should let their car go from the same height. If there isn’t a ramp, everyone should give their car one push from behind a start line.
The person leading the game should measure how far all of the vehicles have travelled.
Everyone should repeat steps three and four so each vehicle has three attempts.
Different people could take it in turns releasing the vehicles each time.
The person leading the game should compare each vehicle’s best attempt. The one that travelled the furthest is the winner.

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