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How to Make Sail Cars Out of Everyday Items

You can make a sail car out of almost anything if you can find a place to attach wheels and a sail. Although wind energy is mainly used for electricity, the wind will also power a sail car. Making your own sail car is an excellent way to demonstrate how the sail harnesses this natural element and uses it to move your car. It is also a fun way to spend an afternoon. Look through your house and gather up everything you think you will be able to use and build your own sail car.

Things You'll Need

Sturdy cardboard
Two wooden axles, 6 inches or longer
Plastic bottle, food container, soda can or matchbox
Darning needle
Scissors
Construction paper
Four small rubber bands
Play dough
6-inch or larger wooden skewer
Glue
Tape
Fan

Instructions

- 1
  Choose one of your items to create the sail car body. You want something that is lightweight but sturdy enough to hold its form. Styrofoam food containers, empty soda or juice bottles, a soda can or matchboxes are all excellent examples of a good car body.
- 2
  Lay the axles of the car across the body. They should stick out from the body at least 1/2 inch on both sides. Cut the axles to size if they are too wide. Both axles should be the same size.
- 3
  Mark four dots on the lower portion of your sail car body. Mark two on each side, one in the front and one in the back. The marks need to be at the same level on the car body. The two marks on each end should be parallel to one another.
- 4
  Poke a darning needle all the way through the holes to make an entrance for the axles. Push the axles through the holes. The axles should stick out 1/2 inch at all four holes.
- 5
  Cut four wheels from heavy-duty cardboard. Poke a hole in the center of each wheel with the darning needle.
- 6
  Wrap a small rubber band around each axle near the car body to keep the wheel away from the car body so it will rotate more easily. Place the cardboard wheels on the axle and add a small ball of play dough on the end of the axle to keep the wheel in place.
- 7
  Cut a 2 1/2-by-2-inch rectangle from a piece of construction paper. Glue it on to the skewer by the flat tip. Reinforce it with tape. Poke the pointed end of the skewer into the center of the body of your sail car.
- 8
  Place the sail car in front of a fan and turn on the fan. Mark a piece of tape a distance away. Turn on the fan and time your sail car. If it doesn't move as fast as you want it to, experiment with different sizes and shapes of sails. Attach them to the skewer and do the experiment again.

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