Race Cars Made from Soap Boxes

Do you purchase soap that comes in a wrapper instead of a box? Well, stop that! Your kids are missing out on too much fun! Purchase the boxed soaps and you, as well as the children, can have much more excitement. Not that the boxed soap is any better than the wrapped ones or has anything at all to do with the project. It’s the box itself that can create the fun. After you and the kids turn the soap boxes into race cars powered by balloons the racing and the excitement shall begin.

Glue the end of the soap box closed then decorate it in any number of ways. Create one look for the little car by wrapping the box in wrapping paper. The paper can be printed or plain. Wrap and trim then tape the paper down at both ends of the box. Instead of paper you can use other things to decorate the entire box.

Use colored tape to create the look for your tiny car. Cover any writing or logos on the box by the design you make with the tape. Create racing stripes, colored patterns and more. Combine tape to make really colorful cars or just use one basic color. The design is completely up to you. The tape can even be used to cover the entire soap box. After you have the basic design down-pat you can move on to the rest of the accents for the car. Use stickers to put a number on the sides of the car. Use other stickers to further enhance. If you used paper to wrap the soap box you can then use the colored tape and stickers to create the final design for the racer. You’ll find a wealth of race car-related stickers at any craft store.

After you’ve completely decorated the car use a sharp instrument to poke a hole on each side of the box. The holes will become the area where the wheel axles will go. A sharp pencil works great for poking the holes which should be approximately 3/4″ from the end and a quarter-inch from the bottom. Poke two more holes at the opposite end of the car. Slide a 5″ section of a wooden skewer into each hole.

To create the wheels use small wooden beads and affix them to the skewers. The four beads should each be one-inch in diameter and have an eighth-inch hole in the center. Slide them onto the skewer ends and glue in place. The wheels of this car won’t actually turn but the axles will. Since the wooden beads you purchase will likely be tan in color feel free to paint them black – or another color – before gluing them onto the skewers.

The finished racer will be powered by air. What better to hold the air than a balloon? Use a small oblong balloon to be the power source for the car. If you blow the balloon up and let the air out of it a couple of times it will be easier to blow up when you’re ready to race. Use a bendable straw to make it easier to blow the balloon up after it’s attached to the car.

Work the short end of the bendable straw into the opening of the balloon. Use tape to affix the straw to the balloon. Make sure the balloon is taped all the way around the straw. If the tape isn’t secure the balloon will shoot out of the end of the straw when you try to blow it up. After attaching the straw blow through it to make sure the tape is secure and that the balloon will easily fill with air.

Tape the straw across the top of the soap box. The straw should be positioned so that the long part of the straw goes across the top of the box, and the short end sticks up, so that the balloon rises up above the back of the car. When the balloon is blown up it should extend from above the end of the box to out behind the box.

When you’re ready to race simply blow up the balloon by the stem sticking out in front of the car. Pinch the end of the straw shut, line the car up at the starting line, then let go of the straw. The air from the balloon will rapidly escape through the straw and will force the car to propel. The racers are really fast but don’t run for long. Create a finish line and see if the other cars can make it over the line. Or, just race and see whose car goes the furthest. It’s a fun and creative way to use soap boxes on a boring day!

Reference:

• Purchase stickers and colored tape here: www.acmoore.com