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Cub Scout Adventures > 
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 Gizmos and Gadgets > 
Cars That Run On Air
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Lion – Kindergarten
Gizmos and Gadgets
Elective
Requirement 2

Cars That Run On Air

Lion – Kindergarten
Gizmos and Gadgets
Elective
Requirement 2

Cars That Run On Air

Snapshot of Activity

Build balloon cars to see how air can be a force to move things.

Indoor
2
2
3
If you want to know more about The Adventure Activity Key click here.
  • Cardboard 2” x 4”, one for each Cub Scout
  • Plastic straws, two for each Cub Scout
  • Bamboo skewers, one for each Cub Scout
  • Plastic bottle caps, four for each Cub Scout
  • 9” balloon (check for latex allergies), one for each Cub Scout
  • Small rubber band, one for each Cub Scout
  • Duct tape, enough to share
  • Drill
  • 7/64” drill bit
  • Small manual balloon pump

Before the meeting:

  1. Learn how to make a balloon car. Watch this YouTube video for an example, “BUILD A BALLOON CAR THAT WORKS!!”
  2. Make your own balloon car to use as a demonstration.
  3. Identify a place at the meeting location that is flat and smooth where the balloon cars can run.
  4. Take the bottle caps and in the center bottle cap drill a hole using the 7/64” drill bit.

During the meeting:

  1. Gather the Cub Scouts and adult partners and share that this activity is about force. Inform the den that force is an action that changes or maintains the motion of a body or object. Simply stated, a force is a push or a pull. Forces can change an object’s speed, its direction, and even its shape.
  2. They are going to explore how the force of air can push on a balloon car to make it go forward.
  3. Show your balloon car as an example.
  4. Have adult partners help their Cub Scouts make a balloon car.
    • Cut the straw in half into two pieces that are just a little longer than 2”, these will be part of the axle of the car.
    • Cut the bamboo skewer in half, it should be about 1” longer than the length of the straws. If there is room cut off the sharp tip.
    • Attach one bottle cap to the end of the skewer and then insert the skewer through the straw then attach another bottle cap onto the other end. Check to make sure that the wheels can spin freely.
    • Tape the axles with the wheels onto the cardboard body. Tape them about 1” inch from the ends and 2” from each other. Make sure that they are square with the body of the car and each other. Flip the car over
    • Cut the other straw about three inches long. Attach the straw to the balloon by inserting it into the balloon about an inch then wrap the rubber band several times around the balloon and straw.
    • Attach the straw with the balloon to the back of the car. The balloon should rest on the body of the car and the straw should stick out of the back about an inch or so, this way you can blow up the balloon with your mouth or a balloon pump.
  5. Once everyone has made their car, allow them to run their cars. You may even conduct a race.
  6. Ask them what they notice about the force of air and how it is acting on their car. Ask them if they know why their car eventually stops. Friction is a force that is caused by the air the car is traveling through, the wheels on the ground, and even the spinning of the axle is causing friction.

Other Activities Options

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Lion – Kindergarten

Does This Thing Fly?

Indoor
2
2
1

Making paper airplanes and comparing it to paper balls explores the concept of friction as a force.

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Lion – Kindergarten

The Force Pushes and Pulls

Indoor
2
2
1

Cub Scouts identify the difference between pushing and pulling as a force.

See Details
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Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.