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The rubber band car

You cannot expect too much from a rubber band car. However, if built well, it can cover a distance of one to two meters. Nonetheless, more often than not, half a meter is all there is. That means this crafting idea should not be offered to the youth group. A balloon car or a rubber boat band is more suitable for this occasion. This should be seen as much more than just a competition. The young people receive wooden wheels, rubber axes and other, various items, depending on how you want to build your car.

In this context, it is important that it not be too obvious to from the parts the kids receive on how this car has to be put together. They all have to start at the same time and at the end there will be a competition. There are points for the fastest, the one that runs the longest or the most beautiful car.

An alternative to this exercise is, to give the kids all the required parts home after their youth group and as a sort of homework they can build the car at home and bring it to the next youth group. Then you can proceed with the competition as described above.

To make sure that you have a car that travels well there are some instructions. You need to stick closely to those directions because a lot depends on the rubber. Is the rubber too tense, then the wheels will turn very fast and that just briefly – the car will not have a chance to get even off the starting point. If the rubber is too loose, your car cannot get very fast. Here you need to experiment and learn through trial and error.

Instructions:

As wheels I took finished wooden wheels, slightly smaller ones for the front, it just looks better. As axes, I took round wood, 6mm and as an axle suspension cable clamp, which are secured with an M3 screw on round wood. The hole in the rear axle serves to ensure that the rubber can wind and unwind. Moreover, here once again in a sketch.

That is how the whole thing could look. In this case, you can save the nail clamps. With this model, it is not so easy to build the framework, because the holes for the axles must be very accurate, and the frame has to be glued, screwed or nailed. However, the car does take off.

Send in from Ronnie Berzins