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How to Make a Toy Race Car That Moves by a Balloon

Balloon-powered cars have always been a favorite among children because you can make them yourself, tweaking and improving the design as you go, and the result is usually a fast moving toy that you can race against your friends. Materials are in every household and half the fun is getting creative about what you use to make your balloon powered vehicle. You will need a base and four rotating wheels, as well as the balloon to complete your project. Below is a very basic model to get you started.

Things You'll Need

Balloon
Flexible straw
Styrofoam sheet or several small pieces
Tape
4 long pins

Instructions

Making your baloon powered car
- 1
  Cut four circles in Styrofoam for the wheels, any size you like, and four hubcaps. The hubcaps should be small circles, no larger than your pinkie nail. Use a compass if you want your wheels to be uniform. The closer to round, and being the same size they are, the better you car will roll.
- 2
  Cut out a rectangle for the body of your car. The size should make sense given the size of the wheels you have already made.
- 3
  Tape the straw firmly so that the non-flexible end sticks out from one of the short sides of the rectangle. The flexible side should be two-thirds of the way down the Styrofoam with the flexible part sticking straight up.
- 4
  Tape the balloon to the end of the flexible part of the straw.
- 5
  Push the pins through the hubcaps and wheels and into the side of the Styrofoam on all four corners. It may not seem like it, but the pins will rotate to allow your car to move.
- 6
  Blow the balloon up through the other end of the straw. Pinch the straw off and place your car on the ground where there is plenty of room for it to go. Release and enjoy.

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