Cotton Reel Car – Simple Science at Home
There are certain things that stick from your childhood as activities that you did with your parents. Making cotton reel cars is one of mine – I remember making them with my Dad and brother; each of us having a different coloured cotton reel and seeing whose could go the furthest. As these week’s theme for #playfulpreschool is transportation I decided it was time that I introduced my kids to these fun and easy-to-make little toys, and learn a little at the same time.
The cotton reel cars work on energy, and when I taught Secondary school science we would use them as a great way to explain kinetic to stored to kinetic energy as well as the effects of friction. These concepts are well beyond the preschool age of understanding, however they are great for working on the principle of actions having a reaction. You wind the stick, and the let it go, and the cotton reel moves across the table. But more than that, there is engineering involved: why isn’t it moving very far, how can we make it move further, problem solving, fine-motor skills to thread and the movements to wind the elastic band up.
Materials for cotton reel cars
Cotton Reel
Match Stick or similar (we used a bamboo skewer which I chopped to a suitable size)
Elastic Band
Pencil
Wax Candle
Learning objectives for cotton reel cars
- To explain actions and reactions
- Problem Solving
- Fine Motor Skills
Preparation
Cut a small piece of the candle, and then make a small hole in the middle so that it forms a washer-type ring.
How to make cotton reel cars
Thread the elastic band through the centre of cotton reel.
Place a small match stick or similar in one end loop.
Place a pencil through the other end loop,
Wind the pencil tightening the elastic band and let go.
When you let go, if your cotton reel doesn’t move, or if it just jumps or spins in the spot, the friction is too much so you need to reduce the friction. I asked T how we could make it go faster, she came up with some wonderful ideas:
Cut the pencil, as it’s holding it back.
Use a bigger elastic band; we haven’t twizzled it enough.
We need to make the cotton reel slippy like ice – lets put it in the freezer.
What excites me is that the last suggestion about “like ice” is really getting close to the reason why – if it was slippery it would have less friction, like ice which is why you slide on it. Yes I know it’s more complicated than that, but with experience, she has learnt about friction without actually knowing or being taught it, and she’s applying that knowledge to a new situation – a real Problem Solving skill.
To reduce the friction, I added our candle washer and we watched the cotton reel car go across the paper on the table no problem (and I would have had a picture but it was too fast sorry!)
Try these other easy Science Experiments to do at Home
Chromatography Experiment – Separating Ink
Exploring Plant Structure with Celery
Seeing how roots grow with beans in a jar experiment
Testing Materials – what makes balls bounce
Viewing the Constellations – with a show box viewer
Exploring how colours are made (no mess experiment using light)
Sea Turtle Conservation Lessons away from the Beach
Other transportation themed Activities
Cotton Reel Car by Rainy Day Mum
I remember making those! Thanks for reminding me, I love introducing my kids to some of the activities I did when I was younger. This will be a nice challenge for all my girls. I see a race in our future.
Had great fun with these when I was a kid , racing them with my brother and sister.
What a neat challenge to do with my preschoolers. Thank you!