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How to Make a Spool Car

Spool cars are old-style toys that children can make for themselves. Rather than relying on the latest plastic toy from the store, children can make a fleet of these simple racers and see which one can go the fastest. They can be decorated in any design, and can be finished in minutes using simple items around the house.

Things You'll Need

Wooden spool
Crayons or markers
Rubber band
Toothpick
Duct tape
Short pencil or stick

Instructions

- 1
  Decorate the outside of your spool with crayons or markers. Make the decorations in stripes or spirals if you want it to look fancy while it's racing, or in any design you want for making it look good while standing still.
- 2
  Push the rubber band through the hole in the spool. Make sure that there is one end of a rubber band sticking out of each hole in the spool.
- 3
  Push a toothpick through one loop in the rubber band. Break off the ends of the toothpick so that the ends don't stick out over the sides of the spool end. Use a piece of duct tape to hold the toothpick in place.
- 4
  Push a short pencil or stick that is about 6 inches long through the other loop in the rubber band. Push the stick through so about 1/3 of the stick is on one side of the loop and the other 2/3 of the stick is on the other side.
- 5
  Hold the spool in one hand and the longer end of the stick in the other. Wind the stick round and round, making the rubber band wind up inside the spool. When you have wound the stick as far as you can, set the spool on the floor or table. Let it go and watch it race.

Wooden Toys