Design Your Own STEM Toy: Recycled Wind Car Challenge (Grade 3–5)

Overview:Students will use recycled materials to build wind-powered cars, exploring energy, friction, and simple machines while practicing creative problem-solving.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore concepts of force and motion

• Practice engineering design process

• Promote sustainability through reuse

Materials Needed:

• Plastic bottles, bottle caps, straws

• Balloons or paper fans

• Tape, scissors, glue

• Ruler and stopwatch (for testing)

Steps:

1. Introduce the goal: Create a wind-powered car using only recycled items.

2. Sketch design ideas and build prototypes.

3. Test and refine cars by measuring speed/distance.

Downloadable Files:📥 [Lesson Plan + Student Worksheet]

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Reflection Prompt:“What would you change if your car had to go uphill?”