Let’s create cars that run on wind power! It’s not just a cool idea from the future; it’s a fun project your students can do today. Find out how to engage your students in hands-on learning while they build, test, and race wind-powered cars. Sustainability and innovation are a perfect match!
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Short on time? Grab a done-for-you wind-powered car project!
Why Wind-Powered Cars?
Recent polls indicate that 77% of middle and high school students recognize the significant impact of climate change on our future lifestyles. Additionally, many of them believe that Generation Alpha will play a crucial role in addressing the climate crisis (The Museum of Science, 2024). The wind-powered car project provides an excellent opportunity for you to engage with this heightened interest in climate change within your classroom. Through this project, your students will not only explore car mechanics but also gain a deeper understanding of renewable resources, environmental impacts, and sustainability principles.
Step-by-Step Guide to a Wind-Powered Car STEM Challenge
Gather Materials
- Household materials and clean recyclables can be used to construct the body of the cars, such as wooden craft sticks, straws, cardboard, pipe cleaners, etc.
- Round items that can be used as wheels, such as plastic wheels for crafting, hard life savers, bottle caps, or CDs
- Scissors
- Tape
- A fan to test the cars
- A flat surface to be used as a track or road for the cars
Introduce the Project
Share information about climate change and greenhouse gases to help them understand the importance of renewable energy and innovative transportation methods. Introduce your students to the goal of creating a wind-powered car. For an extra layer of excitement and engagement, give them a specific challenge for the vehicle, such as the car must travel 3 feet or reach the end of the designated track in 10 seconds or less. Provide students with the project criteria and constraints, including their available materials and time limit. Describe how their final designs will be tested and evaluated.
Brainstorm Wind-Powered Car Designs
Give students time to research wind energy, devices that move using wind power, and basic car frames. Students often struggle to attach the car wheels in a way that still allows the wheels to spin. You may need to have them research wheels and axles. Review and approve student designs before they begin building.
Create the Wind-Powered Cars
Students should build their wind-powered car design using the available materials. Then they can test them out with the fan and improve their designs.
Test and Evaluate the Wind-Powered Cars
Conduct a final test of each car in front of the class. Compare the different designs. Identify how different components affected the performance of the cars.
Improve
After testing their designs, challenge students to improve the performance of their water filters. Students can do more research, observe their classmates’ designs, and reimagine their wind-powered cars.
Looking for more support with your Wind-Powered Car STEM Project?
Check out this done-for-you wind-powered car project that will excite and inspire your middle school students!
First, students will learn about global warming and wind energy as a renewable resource. Then they’ll research methods for capturing wind energy. Next, they’ll use the engineering design process to design and build a wind-powered car. Finally, students will test how fast their cars can move across a 4-foot distance using a fan to power their cars. With detailed teacher notes, engaging student worksheets, a lesson slideshow, a graphic organizer to guide research, a grading rubric, and end-of-project certificates included, you only need to make copies and grab materials from your cabinets to get started.
Grab this resource today so that you can take a break from planning and know your students will still be learning and having fun!
Works Cited
The Museum of Science. (2024). “Boston Museum of Science Finds “Generation Alpha” Taking Up the Challenge to Adapt and Act on Climate.” PR Newswire. Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boston-museum-of-science-survey-finds-generation-alpha-taking-up-the-challenge-to-adapt-and-act-on-climate-302123223.html
