Build A Wind Car Engineering Challenge

This post is part of the 5 Days of Engineering Challenges series, Check it out for more fun, engineering project ideas for your kids.

I’ve always been fascinated by sail boats. Harnessing the power of the wind to move vessels small and large across the water is a science that I would love to learn more about.

To explore the concept of sail size and vessel size and weight, the kids and I decided to experiment with sailboats with wheels – a wind car.

If you’re looking for more Lego challenges, check out the free Lego© Challenges at the bottom of this post.

Building A Wind Car

When thinking about building something with wheels, the kids and I automatically thought of Legos. They broke them out and started building. Their creations started out small and simple, but creativity got the best of them and their wind cars grew.

For this engineering challenge, I have them just a few simple rules:

No limit on size
The wind car must have a sail
The wind car must travel across our tile floor powered only with wind from a window fan.

Related post: 50+ STEAM Activities

Building a craft with the right weight/size to sail ratio is tricky. The kids had to try several sail sizes, types, and positions. Some sails work, but which sails work the best?

Try this at home with your kids. Race your crafts to determine which design is the best.

More engineering challenge ideas…

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This post is part of the 5 Days of Engineering Challenges series.

100 Engineering Projects for Kids use with grades K-12. Wealth of STEM resources with simple to use activities and supplies.

This is a great resource for tons of engineering project ideas!

I hold a master’s degree in child development and early education and am working on a post-baccalaureate in biology. I spent 15 years working for a biotechnology company developing IT systems in DNA testing laboratories across the US. I taught K4 in a private school, homeschooled my children, and have taught on the mission field in southern Asia. For 4 years, I served on our state’s FIRST Lego League tournament Board and served as the Judging Director. I own thehomeschoolscientist and also write a regular science column for Homeschooling Today Magazine. You’ll also find my writings on the CTCMath blog. Through this site, I have authored over 50 math and science resources.