Missy's Race Car

• Small cardboard box
• Extra scrap cardboard
• Pencil
• Craft paint
• Paint brushes
• Paint pallet (I used a recycled gelato lid)
• Plastic straws
• A thin wooden BBQ skewer or a thin dowel
• Scissors
• Liquid glue (hot or otherwise)

1. Use your pencil to draw a design on your box; racing stripes, fire, polka dots, etc. You’ll want to draw the design on 3 sides: the right side, the left side and the top. You can leave the bottom blank.
2. Squeeze some paint onto your pallet and use your paint brush to paint your design.
3. While you let your paint dry, use a pencil, your extra cardboard and your craft paint bottle to trace 4 circles. These will be the wheels of your car.
4. Use your scissors to cut out the wheels.
5. With your paint and paint brush, paint the wheels.
6. On the bottom side of your box, hold up a straw and use your scissors to cut it to the same width as the box.
7. Cut a second straw the same length.
8. Glue one straw about an inch from the front of the car on the bottom side. This will hold the front axle of the car.
9. Glue the other straw about an inch from the back of the car on the bottom side. This will hold the back axle of the car.
10. Stick your BBQ skewer through one straw and cut it so that it is just slightly longer than that straw. This is one of your axles.
11. Cut another BBQ skewer the same length and set it in the other straw. This is your other axle.
12. Glue 1 wheel to each end of your first axle. Make sure to avoid getting any glue on the straw. Let the glue dry completely.
13. Glue 1 wheel to each end of your second axle. Make sure to avoid getting any glue on the straw. Let the glue dry completely.
14. Set your car wheels down and ZOOM! Off you go!

Now you have your very own toy car! Great job! This simple design can be modified in lots of ways. You could start with an open top box and create little seats in the car. You could make a car with 6 wheels. You could add stickers, glitter, jewels, etc to your car. You could cut little doors in the cardboard. You could make windows. Be creative and have fun!