September’s Lego Club was all about exploring cars and balloons. From a creative mini build through our fun challenges, the kids had a great time!
Our mini build focus was vehicles and garages. We gave each kid a mini build kit, had them pick a set of miniature wheels and axles, then let them work. While they were busy building, we set up ramps and “roads” made out of corrugated plastic cardboard. We had three ramp heights for the kids to use. Once the ramps were up, the kids were busy testing out their creations. Some of those mini-cars went really far!
We used the plates from the mini kits for our challenge builds – we built balloon cars and gravity racers (derby cars)! Some of the kids started with balloon cars, then modified their balloon car to use as a gravity racer, while others created completely new racers. We took down two of the ramps to accommodate the balloon cars, and marked off starting lines. One of the balloon cars went 14 feet 5 inches! We also had a few experiments with balloon cars on the ramp – some went fast, some went far, but none beat the distance of a balloon racer on a flat track.
This particular meeting was short on pictures, but long on fun. The kids were so busy building, modifying and improving their designs that it was hard to get pictures of their finished creations. The cars ranged from basic framework balloon cars to highly decorated gravity racers, with so many variations in between. The kids would build, race and modify their cars as quickly as possible. It was amazing to see how quickly the kids figured out how to improve their designs. It was a very inventive meeting, with lots of great ideas!
Mini Build – Mini Vehicles and Garages
An airplane and hangar
A mini car
A garage, driveway and Jeep that seats 6
Two mini cars and a garage
A flying battle cow
Challenge Build – Balloon Cars and Gravity Racers
A basic balloon car
A super-long balloon car
A balloon car ready to roll!
Check out the distance for that car!
A tall balloon car
And look at how far it goes!
A multi-axle balloon car
Another great basic balloon car
Ready for the road!
Taller is better
A beautiful and well-built balloon car – this one went very far!
Free Build
Some of the kids took a break from racing to just enjoy building. Here are some of their great creations!
Helicopter
Another version of a helicopter
A fabulous mini car
Check out this awesome looking car!
And since we didn’t get a good shot of the ramps at the meeting, here are some post-meeting pictures:
Side view showing cutouts used as interior support
Back view – the binder clip holds the cutouts together and provides stability
The ramp breaks apart and folds flat for easy storage
Our next Lego Club meeting is on Friday, October 5. Hope to see you there!
