Supplies:

• For the car’s body (Choose One):
  • Box Car: 1 long jewelry box + 1 small jewelry box
  • Tube Car: Toilet Paper Roll
    
• For the car’s ‘engine’ (Choose One):
  • Balloon + Straw (straw cut in half; balloon lip cut off)
  • Twine/string (30 inches)
• For the wheels:
  • Wooden dowel rods
  • 4 wooden wheels‍
  • Box Car Only: 1 thick, plastic straw (i.e. a boba straw)

• Plus the following general supplies:
  • Containers
  • Trays (one for each child)
  • Rulers
  • Kid Scissors
  • Wood clippers (Counselors Only!)
  • Adhesives (glue, tape, etc.)
  • Markers
  • Hole puncher (Big Kids Only!)
  • Hot Glue Gun

Prep/ Set Up Details:

• Pre-cut all wooden dowel rods and prepare most of the wooden wheel assembly (see activity instructions)
• For each child, prep the following on a tray:
  • Car body material (boxes or paper roll)
  • Wheel materials
  • Engine supplies (twine/ string or half of a boba straw and balloon with the balloon lip cut off)‍
• Organize all shared supplies in containers (e.g., markers, gems, adhesives, etc.)‍
• Create a construction tape starting and finishing line on the floor to set up for a race at the end.
• Prepare a few relevant fun facts or questions to enrich the activity discussion!
  • How many parts do you think are in a real car? (More than 30,000!)
  • If we could build a road, how long do you think it would take to drive to the moon? (Driving at 90 mph it would take SIX MONTHS!)

Preparing for younger children (ages 3-6)

• Pre-cut all items
• Pre-punch all holes
• Opt for less messy options (e.g. stickers, glue dots, etc.)
• Be extra careful with any small pieces!

Preparing for older children (ages 7+)

• Allow them to measure, cut most things themselves
• Consider more sophisticated options (e.g. glitter, etc.)
• Inspire them to come up with a custom name for their vehicle

Activity Instructions:

Counselor(s) Prep (30 minutes before)

Doors open (5 minutes before)

‍Gather (right on time)

• When all children are seated, welcome everyone!
• Introduce yourself and any other Counselors assisting the activity
• Give children a brief overview of what to expect and show children a completed “demo” or what the final product of this craft can look like
• Briefly review the tools they’ll be using and highlight any tools/techniques that require either (1) special care or (2) direct Counselor intervention
  • E.g. “Scissor edges can be sharp, so take care to always grab them by their handles and set them down gently every time!”
  • Or - “For help with the wooden wheel pieces, you’ll need hot glue - Counselor ABCD is here to help you with that!”

‍Icebreaker (5 minutes)

• We’re going to play Nice to Meet Ya!
• Instruct all children and Counselors to sit in a circle
• Go around the circle having each participant tell everyone their name and their favorite color for cars
• Counselors can go first to set an example for children 

Craft (25 minutes)

1. Decorate Your Car (toilet paper roll/ jewelry boxes and wheels) with paint or colorful tape. If using paint, make sure to allow time for the paint to dry before moving onto the next step.
   
2. Assemble Your Car:
   1. Safety Reminder: The wood clippers and hot glue gun are recommended tools for the next steps, but are never to be in the hands of children - wood clipping and hot gluing are counselor tasks.  Complete the bulk of this cutting and assembly during prep.
      
   2. If creating Box Cars:
      • Cut 2 pieces of the wooden rods 4 inches long
      • Cut 2 pieces of your boba straw 2 inches long
      • Flip your larger box upside-down and measure/mark lines 2-inches from the front and 2-inches from the back of the car
      • Glue the cut pieces of boba straws to those lines
      • Flip the car right side up and glue the small box to the top of the car
      • Insert the cut pieces of wooden rod inside the straw and secure wheels on each side (2x)
   3. If creating Tube Cars:
      • Measure and mark where the wheels will go - use a hole punch or a pencil to punch holes on either side of your car, one inch from the front and back.  Use a ruler to help it line up evenly.
      • Cut 2 pieces of the wooden rods 4 inches long
      • Insert the wooden rods in your car and pop the wheels on both sides (x2)‍
3. Build the ‘Engine’:‍
   1. If using twine/string to make the car go:
      • Measure and cut 30 inches of twine, and glue it under the front of your car
   2. If using a balloon to make the car go:
      • Put one end of the boba straw in the balloon and tape to seal. (Blow the balloon to be sure the mechanism is working.)‍
      • Glue the straw inside the top of your car, with the balloon outside the front end and about an inch of straw sticking out from the back (this is where you’ll blow into the straw to make the car go!)‍
4. Bling Your Car Out!‍
   • Use adhesives and gems (or stickers, etc.) to add sparkle and flair‍
5. ‍Take It For a Spin!

Play/ Perform (10 minutes)

• Show children the construction tape racetrack/finish-line and, in pairs, have them race their new race cars to the finish line.
• For older kids, consider a tournament, with the winning vehicle earning a special platinum star sticker (and all other vehicles earning a gold star sticker)

Wrap-Up/ Goodbyes (5 minutes)

‍Reset/ Cleanup (After - 10 minutes)