How to Make a Balloon Racers Project

Place a sheet of foam on a flat surface. Use a ruler to draw a rectangle that is 18 cm long and 3 cm wide. Draw three more of the same width.

Create four circles with a diameter of 6 cm, with the use of a compass. Create three more sets with diameters of 4, 3 and 2 cm. Draw sixteen 1 cm shapes, to function as hubcaps. The hubcaps may be circles, rectangles, or triangles.

Remove all of the shapes with a pair of scissors. Pair each rectangle with a set of wheels and hubcaps.

Prepare a balloon by blowing it up, and then letting it deflate. Attach it to the shorter or bent end of the flexible straw. Place the straw so that its balloon end is in the middle of one of the rectangles, while its other end hangs over edge.

Secure the straw by taping it into place. Add straws to the other rectangles.

Hold a hubcap against one of the wheels of the first rectangle, insert a push pin or thumbtack, and then push the combination into one of the rectangle̵7;s sides. Test the wheels to make sure that they can spin. Use the same procedure to attach the other three hubcaps and wheels to the rectangle.

Add hubcaps and wheels to the remaining rectangles, and then test each car to make sure that it operates correctly. Blow into a straw to inflate the balloon, and then hold the air in place by using your fingers to squeeze the straw̵7;s end. Remove your fingers, and the car will move.

Create a racecourse by measuring four lanes with a yardstick, and then marking the lanes with tape. Create the finish lines with chalk. Use a watch or stopwatch to time the passage of the cars from start to finish.

Vary the track by creating small ramps from a piece of cardboard taped to a book. Place the ramps at the beginning, middle, or end of the course.