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Activity

Balloon-Powered Art Car

Build a small car that runs on balloon thrust, then decorate it like the car it deserves to be.

Ages
7–12
Duration
50 minutes

What kids build

A balloon-powered car with wheels that turn and a paint job they chose.

Materials we bring

How we run it

  1. 01 Mark a start line on the floor with tape.
  2. 02 Clear a 3 to 5 meter test track with no obstacles.
  3. 03 Tape two short straw pieces across the underside of the cardboard base, parallel to each other. These are your axle guides and the most important structural element.
  4. 04 Slide skewers through the straw guides. Push bottle caps or cardboard circles onto each end as wheels. Make sure the wheels spin freely. If they are tight the car will go nowhere.
  5. 05 Tape a short straw to the mouth of the balloon and seal well with tape. This straw directs the escaping air backward. That is your rocket exhaust.
  6. 06 Tape the balloon on top of the chassis so the straw exhaust points straight backward off the rear of the car. Keep it level with the ground for maximum forward thrust.
  7. 07 Add your team name, colors, patterns, and a logo. This is the art in STEAM. Pick a theme like race car, spaceship, or jungle safari vehicle.
  8. 08 Inflate the balloon by blowing into the straw. Pinch the straw to hold the air. Place the car behind the start line and release the straw.
  9. 09 Measure the distance traveled in centimeters and how far it veered from a center line.
  10. 10 Change one variable at a time and re-test. Track your data.

Kids build a tiny car chassis, attach a balloon-and-straw engine, then decorate it. The science is in why the car moves. The art is in everything else.

Real-world connection

Newton's third law at 763 mph

The fastest land vehicle ever built, the ThrustSSC, broke the sound barrier at 763 mph powered by two jet engines. The International Space Station uses small thrusters to adjust its orbit. A balloon car is the same principle at a size kids can carry home.

Go deeper

Extension ideas

Distance vs. speed

Which car goes the farthest? Which goes the fastest? They are not always the same car. Ask kids to guess, then measure.

Weight matters

Try adding a paperclip as ballast. Does a heavier car go farther or shorter? Why?

When we have run this

Scheduled and past visits

Past

  • NOV 6 2025

    Thursday, November 6

    Completed

    Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center

    Kids designed, decorated, and raced their own balloon-powered cars, learning about Newton's Third Law and iterative engineering design. Friendly race at the end to see whose car went farthest.

Bring this to your space

Want the Balloon-Powered Art Car at your library or school?

Tell us your space, your age range, and rough timing. We will come to you. Materials are on us.

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