Cars
Kids
love cars and learn lots of physics in making them and testing them.
They also learn how to work in an innovative environment – a skill
needed in the job market today. They work in teams to design, build,
and test cars under a variety of conditions – and love the entire
process.
For
most cars we use Kelvin.com plastic wheels. They are less expensive
than other wheels we’ve found and they fit onto 1/8” dowels that are
less expensive than the larger dowels that fit most other wheels. These
smaller wheels and axles also use standard drinking straws instead of
the more difficult to find and expensive FAT straws needed for ¼”
dowels.
We also use 2” wood wheels (that take ¼” dowels), but limit their use for toys such as tops that require the additional weight.
Here is one more alternative that will spark interest even among kids who have built KI! cars before. Use golf balls for wheels. |
These practice golf balls work well with ¼” dowels and FAT straws. Since the dowels pass through the balls,
builders need to glue a piece of cardboard or other material on the end of the axles to keep the balls on the axles.
Purchased in bulk on-line, the cost for the balls is comparable to wood wheels.
Let us know if you find other sources or other materials that work well in cars.
Once builders have made the basic roll-down-the ramp car, they can test it to see how far it rolls.
Later, they can add balloon power, sails, or electric motors. |
Check out this television viewer
Give them a magnifying lens to look close at the tiny picture elements lets them see the three colors that make up each element.
The large viewers collect and average out the colors within their view.
Have kids compare the views between traditional TV screens (CRT) and LCDs. Check out Ed’s book, A Field Guide to
Household Technology, for information on how different screens work. |
Gluing sections of paper towel tubes (cardboard cylinders) together and covering one side with a translucent material
(wax paper) gives a new way to look at TV. The color patterns in these huge pixel viewers give a very different look.
Kids could experiment with different diameter cardboard or plastic tubes to see what different effects they get.
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