How to Earn the Daisy Model Car Design Challenge Badge

Your girls will have a great sense of accomplishment when they make their own working model car when they work towards earning the Daisy Model Car Design Challenge.

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Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

Pre-Meeting Prep Work

Make ramps to show friction. This article "Exploring Ramps and Friction" shows you how to make simple ramps with different surfaces. If you do not have wood, use cardboard from boxes you have around the house.

Step 1 Design and Build a Model Car

Ask the girls what the important parts of a car are. One of them is the wheels. Have they ever driven over a bump? A road full of rocks? A pot hole? What is the best surface for a car to travel on?

The girls will then build their own model cars.

One way to do this is to have them make cars from recycled materials. You can find directions on how to do this at Free Kids Crafts.

The girls can also make cars from Legos, as long as you have enough wheels.

Another way to make a car is to buy a ready made kit. They come in packages of 6 or singles. You can have the girls work in pairs if you do not wish to spend a lot of money.

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

Step 2 All About Friction

Have a toy car ready to go down the ramps you made prior to the meeting. Have the girls predict what they think will happen and have them explain why. 

Girls can design their own ramps for this step. Have plenty of materials like cardboard, Matchbox ramps, pool noodles, and pipe insulation, as well as lots of tape, for the girls to use.

Step 3 Race Your Cars

Here is the fun part...the girls get to race their cars down the ramps they made. Here is where the engineering part comes in. If it does not work, the girls can readjust the cars or the ramps.