How to Make a Toy Car Using Recyclables
Making a toy car using recyclable materials is an easy Earth Day project or an activity for a rainy day. Older children can make the car with only a little help from an adult, or you can make the car for a young child while explaining the benefits of the "reduce reuse recycle" philosophy. Raid your recycle bin for materials or save them from the trash.
Things You'll Need
- 2-liter soda bottle
- Wire snips
- Drill
- 4 plastic lids
- Hot glue
- 4 soda bottle caps
Instructions
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1
Rinse out a plastic soda bottle and remove the label. Soak it in hot water for 10 minutes to loosen any glue for easy removal. Let the bottle dry.
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2
Cut two lengths of wire that are each 3 inches longer than the width across the soda bottle. Poke one wire through the bottle and out the opposite side 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. Poke the second wire through the bottle right before it begins tapering toward the neck and out the other side.
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3
Drill a hole through the center of each of the four plastic lids. Lids from peanut butter or other jars work well. These lids will be the wheels of the car.
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4
Place a lid on each end of the wires. Place a dab of hot glue on the inside of each of the four soda bottle caps and attach them to the ends of the wires to hold the lids in place and to act as hub caps.
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5
Allow the glue to dry. The wheels will turn as you push your car around on the floor.
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Tips & Warnings
Paint your bottle to look like a real car. Cut pieces of cardboard and glue them to the soda bottle to make fins or other accessories for your car.
Only adults should use a drill and hot glue gun.
