Follow the 10 steps below to do the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge with your students! This year’s challenge is the Rubber Band Car Challenge. Getting a high score requires creative thinking and engineering to make a car that can go as far as possible. How far will your students’ cars travel?
The 2024 Rubber Band Car Challenge is an exciting way to have students try engineering. As they design, build, test, and improve their cars, students will be using the engineering design process and building confidence in themselves as engineers.
With separate worksheets and lesson plans available for elementary, middle, and high school, as well as individual student project directions, the 2024 Engineering Challenge is designed to get students of all ages excited about engineering. The challenge is accessible for students at all grade levels, around the world, and in a wide range of learning environments, including the classroom, at home, or in out-of-school and community programs.
Ready to get started?
10 Steps to Do the Rubber Band Car Challenge with Students
1
Introduce the Rubber Band Car Challenge and watch the video overview.
2
Review the directions. Directions for the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge are available in multiple formats. Lesson plans include a worksheet students can use to document their Rubber Band Car Challenge project and solution. The rules, materials, and scoring are the same, so use the copy most applicable to your student(s):
(Note: If you are working with K-2 students, use the lesson marked “Grades 3-5.”)
3
Review the steps of the
Engineering Design
Process and watch the Engineering Design Process video.
Tip! Reviewing the Engineering Design Process will help students understand how to approach designing, testing, and iterating to troubleshoot and improve their cars. For additional resources, see 4 Ways to Teach Engineering Design.
4
Review the rules for the 2024 Rubber Band Car Challenge and the allowable materials. The challenge uses simple materials, including paper, tape, paperclips, and rubber bands, which makes gathering materials easy! You will also need options for wheels (e.g., CD/DVD discs or bottle caps) and axles (e.g., straws, pencils, or skewers). (Important! Materials that can be used for this year’s challenge are listed in the lesson plan or project directions. If the material isn’t listed, it can’t be used. If students have additional questions about rules or materials, consult the Rubber Band Car Challenge FAQ.)
Tip! Make sure all students understand how materials will be counted when calculating the final score for their rubber band cars. Finding a balance between materials costs and the distance achieved with a rubber band car is part of the challenge!
5
Talk about the STEM involved. This challenge is designed to help students see what is involved in doing an engineering project, but building rubber band cars involves a range of STEM concepts. To deepen the STEM learning, you may want to discuss:
- Wheel(s) and axle(s) are types of simple machines. Review with students the function of the wheel and axle and how they work together when a car moves. (For additional information about simple machines, see Teach About Simple Machines.)
- Potential and kinetic energy. The rubber band car is powered by a rubber band.
- What kind of energy is involved?
- What happens when you wind an axle with a rubber band attached and then release it?
- What can students observe about how energy is transferred or converted from one type to another?
- How do rubber band cars help demonstrate the law of conservation of energy?
(For additional resources to teach about energy, see 13 Activities and Lessons to Teach Potential and Kinetic Energy and 26 Science Projects and Experiments To Teach About Types of Energy.)
6
Brainstorm and sketch ideas. Have students sketch ideas for their rubber band-powered cars, including design elements that can help them achieve greater distance. Sketching their ideas (or drawing a diagram like the one shown below) helps students think through how their car will work and what materials they plan to use. (Since there are points associated with materials, you may want to have them note applicable point values on their sketches so that they are thinking about that from the beginning.)
The overview video shows several rubber band car examples, but there are lots of ways students might approach designing a car using the available materials.
- How many axles will they use?
- What type of wheel(s)?
- How many wheels?
- What will make the frame of the car?
- How will they wind the rubber band?
After thinking about (and sketching) multiple options, have students choose the design they think will result in a rubber band car that will travel the longest distance. (Tip!: The worksheet included with the educator lesson plans helps guide students through this brainstorming process.)
7
(Optional) Team up! Students can work in teams of 1-4 on their solutions. This is a great way to practice teamwork and communication skills! When they pool their ideas and troubleshooting, they have the benefit of multiple perspectives. Plus, working together to solve the challenge is a lot of fun! Don’t forget to pick a team name. No matter what size the team is, it needs a name!
8
Design, build, and iterate. Remind students that engineering involves building, testing, and making design changes to work out problems and to continue to improve how their cars work. Designs don’t always work the first time, and even when they do, they can usually be improved. Troubleshooting and making changes is part of the engineering process! Be sure to encourage early testing so that students have time to make changes to try to improve their cars. The video below helps demonstrate the concept of iteration.
9
Test the rubber band cars and record scores. Set a deadline for students to finish building their cars. Review the testing protocol and how to calculate final scores. Have students record their longest successful distance and calculate their final score. To enter the contest, students will need their final score, distance, and two photos, one showing the full car and one of the car with the team (if possible).
What about video? Video footage documenting the Rubber Band Car Challenge is not required, but videos can be a fun way to record and share classroom testing! If you share videos in social media, be sure to tag us and also add #RubberBandCarChallenge and #ScienceBuddiesEngineeringChallenge. (Only images can be uploaded when entering the challenge.)
10
Enter for a chance to win!
Submissions for the 2024 Rubber Band Car Challenge will be accepted February 18-March 18, 2024. All K-12 students/teams, regardless of location, are invited to submit their solution to compete for a high score.
Prizes: Students in listed geographic regions, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, will be automatically entered in random drawings for prize money to be awarded to the winning team’s school or organization. (Note: See the Engineering Challenge page for rules, eligibility, and complete prize information.)
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