Preparation

Prepare the wheels in advance by following step 3 for a smoother crafting experience.

Let’s Do It

1. Attach Popsicle Stick:
   Use a glue gun to attach a popsicle stick to the side of the bottle.

2. Add Straw Axle Holders:
   Attach two pieces of straw as axle holders to the popsicle stick by applying a blob of glue from the glue gun at each end of the popsicle stick. Attach the straw at its center to the glue, turning the straw as you do to ensure full glue coverage.

3. Create Bottle Lid Wheels:
   Apply a generous amount of glue around the edge of a lid and affix it to the edge of another lid to form a wheel, repeating this process four times. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly. Once dried, heat a nail or small screwdriver with a lighter and create a hole through the center of each wheel for the axle, ensuring the hole matches your skewer’s diameter. Repeat this step for all four wheels.

4. Prepare Skewers and Straws:
   Trim the affixed straws to be as short as possible, leaving a slight gap to prevent the wheels from rubbing against the bottle. Cut the skewers to a length equal to the straws plus the width of two wheels, adding an extra 2cm for assembly.

5. Assemble the Axles:
   Push the skewers through the straws and add the wheels on each side.

6. Create Wheel Stoppers:
   Make wheel stoppers at the ends of each axle using a glue gun or small rubber bands. Be careful when using a glue gun to avoid unintentionally gluing the wheel to the axle, ensuring it remains free-spinning.

7. Ready, Set, Race:
   Find a nice little hill, and let the excitement begin! Start races with your bottle cars, allowing kids to experiment with weight and its impact on speed. Encourage them to explore the effects by adding water to the bottle.