Pinewood Derby Model Car Race

Project Description

Prepared by: SWE Kern County Section B01

I. Objective:

The objective of this project is to provide young girls with a “hands-on” model car building experience to demonstrate that science is fun, not gender specific and available to all who are interested. Additionally, each girl can interact with an engineer thus exemplifying success in science and math. This project provides girls with the opportunity to learn the principles of friction, traction, and wind resistance and apply them in building and racing pinewood cars. This project provides the same technical training as offered to boys in the Boy Scouts Organization.

Each girl was provided the opportunity to assemble a model car from a kit (provided at the workshop) and race their cars against others to test their designs. This is a fairly simple project to organize with consistently positive results. The project requires about 3 weeks of time to purchase workshop supplies and borrow or rent a pinewood derby track. (Large quantities of the kits may require special orders by the supplier – check ahead of time). Each workshop lasts one hour to build and race the cars. You will need about 4 volunteers for each workshop. Each workshop should enroll no more than 12 girls.

Some of the general details:

What: Pinewood Derby Model Car Building and Race Workshop

Where: This workshop was conducted at a local Girl Scout GEMs event (Girl Scouts Enjoying Math & Science) held at a community college classroom.

Who: Girl Scouts in Grades 4,5 & 6

How: SWE worked with Girl Scouts to organize and conduct the workshops. Each workshop is one hour long. There were 3 workshops during the day. SWE provided 4 volunteers to explain the concepts to the girls, help the girls build their individual cars and conduct the races during the last 15 minutes of the workshop. Trophies and door prizes were distributed at the end of each workshop.

II. Planning and Organization

Before the event:

A. Coordinate details with Girl Scouts organization. Discuss objectives and measures of success (i.e. solicit feedback from girls after event). Explicitly define expectations of the Girl Scout Organization. Girl Scouts will distribute feedback survey to the workshop participants at the end of the day.

B. Work with Girl Scouts troops to help encourage participation, dispel fears and answer questions.

C. Purchase supplies ~~and borrow~~and borrow or rent pinewood derby track.

D. Obtain ExxonMolbil logo for publicity and provide to Girl Scouts. Encourage Girl Scouts to increase awareness of the ExxonMobil support.

III. Materials and Supplies

The following materials were purchased by SWE (courtesy of the ExxonMobil Grant):

Item Supplier Cost

Pinewood Derby Car Kits* (pre-cut Pinecar wood models- 3 different body styles)	Michaels Arts and Craft Stores or Hobby Store	$4.99 each
Car Weights - Pinecar	Michaels Art and Hobby	$2.99 each
Pinewood Derby Wheel Sets	Michaels Arts and Craft Stores or Hobby Store	$2.99 each
Trophies (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places winners) for each workshop.	Trophy Store	$6.25-$7.50 each depending on size
Tubes of Graphite -4	Michaels	$3.49
Computer software (door prizes) or scientific calculators	Costco or Radio Shack	$19-$28/each
Pinewood Derby Track	Boy Scouts Pack	Borrow from a boy scouts troop or rent for a nominal fee.
Hammers (one per 3 girls), hot-glue gun, thick tape, pliers, screwdrivers, etc. to assemble weights and wheels	Hardware Store	Varies
Foam board, pens, decals etc.	Signs for workshop and to announce sponsor	$5.00
Large sheets of plywood to place over tables for a work area	Hardware Store	$10.00
Numerous small blocks of wood (approx 2”x1”x4”)	Hardware Store	$4.00
Decals, colored pens to decorate cars, small stickers	Michaels or Arts and Crafts store	$15.00
Box of thin, short nails to attach wheels and weights	Hardware Store	$3.00

* Pre-cut pinewood Derby kits (Pinecar brand) were used because they are quick to assemble. The official Boy Scout kits consist of a wooden rectangular block which must be cut into a car shape which is more time-consuming.

IV The Event

Before the event, the pinewood derby track must be assembled. You should discuss the tools and materials necessary for this assembly with the Boy Scouts troop leader (or whomever has the track) beforehand.

The Girl Scouts should provide you with list of ~~each~~ workshop’s participants. Number each of the names. to give each girl an entrant number just as in a car race.

The workshop area should be set up to include a check-in table, two work tables (covered with plywood) complete with tools, and the pinewood derby track. (Figure a maximum of 6 girls per worktable.)

Upon check-in, each girl is allowed to select a pre-cut car (three different body types were provided), wheels, and weights. The girls are provided a small sticker with their number printed on it. This decal is placed on the girl’s car and is a simple method of identifying the car’s owner. This number is also placed on a small piece of paper and thrown into a box which will be used for door prizes at the end of the event

The girls are encouraged to use the tools at the worktable to assemble the four wheels onto the car bodies. Two volunteers should be staffed at each table. The volunteers can explain principles such as friction, weight, and wind resistance and the application of these theories. The car wheels are attached into grooves in the base of the car bodies with either small nails or straight axles (provided in the car kits), using hammers and pliers. Some of the girls discover that cutting the axles in half and attaching the wheels with the split axles work best since it provides better clearance between the car and the wheels. Other girls use graphite to reduce friction. Adding weights onto the car bodies makes a considerable difference. Girls experimented with the location of weights and methods of attaching the weights (screws, hammers, glue gun, etc.) Some girls decorate their cars with decals and pens. Others were more interested in testing their results on the track and fine-tuning their designs.

After about 25 minutes of building, it is time to begin the races. Each girl races her car at least three times, using double elimination. Each car must lose twice to be eliminated. Conducting a race requires at least three volunteers – one to start the cars, one at the finish line (to make the calls), and a third volunteer to record the winners. Each car races against different cars in each heat, using different lanes (to eliminate any biases). The winners of each heat (in our case, 3 cars per race), are recorded and then pitted against each other. In between heats, the girls are encouraged to return to the worktable to improve their car designs (the fourth volunteers helps with this process). The third volunteers makes sure that all cars race at least three times and determines those cars who are eligible to continue racing. The final race determines the first, second, and third winners. Trophies are presented to the winners (and photos taken) and participation ribbons are distributed to all. Each girl takes their car home. A random drawing provides the non-winners with the opportunity to take home some learning software (algebra, math-based learning, etc.)

V. Assembly Tips

Here are some assembly tips for putting together the cars:

1. Make sure the girls center the axles. We centered a small block of wood across the axle and carefully tapped the axle firmly in place with a hammer. It is important that the axles are firmly placed in the groove. Check that axles and wheels are free from burrs.

2. Next, rub some graphite on the axle surfaces before inserting the wheels.

3. The girls had difficulty installing the small black caps over the wheels. Adult help is probably required. We found that it was helpful to leave the caps intact on the “stem” so you can snap the cap onto the end of the axle, and then cut the secured cap off of the stem. Otherwise, the small rubbers cap cannot be easily manipulated with the ends of your fingers.

4. The weights can be installed either on top or underneath the car. The heavier the car, the faster it will go. Straddle the car body on top of narrow wood blocks before hammering the weights onto the cars, so you do not damage your wheels.

5. If the wheels “drag” it is sometimes helpful to split the axle in half and then tap them back into place on the car. This provides a little extra clearance between the wheel and car body to allow it to spin.

6. Another solution is to use very small nails to attach the wheels to the body instead of axles. However, it is important that the nails be carefully aligned such that the wheels are exactly the same height.

V. Conclusion

The racing competition certainly increased the level of excitement and enthusiasm in the workshop. The girls enjoy seeing the results of their efforts. Several had brothers who had participated in Boy Scout events and were familiar with the pinewood derby races. Before this experience, many of the girls had never used tools and were ambivalent about working on model cars. However, this workshop provided the girls with a safe environment to learn new skills, increase their confidence about their own capabilities, and compete against others. The Girl Scout organization received very positive feedback from the girls regarding this workshop.

For questions or clarifications regarding this project, please contact Lisa Wong at llwong@tjcross.com.

DR# 061

Project Title: 061 Pinewood Derby Model Car Race Date: 11/15/00

Project Manager: Lisa Wong Section: Kern County

Email: llwong@tjcross.com Phone: (661) 831-8782

Deliverables: Indicate type (i.e. document, web page, brochure, etc.), title, and media (hard copy, email file, disk, etc.)

Pinewood Derby Model Car Project Description

Select[1] the one primary Strategic Priorty this project addressed:
q Leadership X Education q Diversity q Visibility q Vitality

SWE Committees to which this report and deliverables would be of interest:

SWE Volunteers (No.) 3_ Estimated Total Hours: 20

Non-SWE Volunteers (No.) Estimated Total Hours:

Executive Summary: A short summary of what the Project was and what it accomplished.

The objective of this project is to provide young girls with a “hands-on” model car building experience to demonstrate that science is fun, not gender specific and available to all who are interested. Each girl was provided the opportunity to assemble a model car from a kit (provided at the workshop) and race their cars against others to test their designs. This is a fairly simple project with consistent results.

Program Development Grant Final Report

DR061 Pinewood Derby

Include in your Final Project Report the following items in the following order:

1. Final Report Cover Sheet

2. Narrative Description, including program goals, schedule, program conduct and content.

The objective of this project is to provide young girls with a “hands-on” pinewood model car building experience, similar to the same training offered to Boy Scouts. Each girl is provided a safe opportunity to build cars using tools and interact with an engineer or adult to learn principles of wood construction, friction, traction, wind resistance, and proper use of tools.

Some of the general details:

III. What: Pinewood Derby Model Car Building and Race Workshop

Where: This workshop was conducted at a local Girl Scout GEMS event (Girls Enjoying Math and Science) held at a community college classroom.

Who: Girl Scouts in Grades 4,5 & 6

How: SWE worked with Girls Scouts to organize and conduct the workshops. Each workshop is one hour long. There were 3 workshops during the day. SWE provided 3 volunteers to help explain the concepts to the girls and build their individual cars and conduct the races during the last 20 minutes of the workshop. Trophies and door prizes were distributed at the end of each workshop.

3. Measured results (number and mix of attendees, surveys, other measures of impact, etc.) including comparisons to prior data or prior expectations, what constitutes success, use charts where appropriate.

Each of the three workshops had approximately 15 girls in Grades 4, 5, & 6. Most of the girls selected this workshop because they wanted to experience the “same thrills as the Boy Scouts.” Some of the girls had never used any tools before this workshop. They learned to apply math and science principles – friction and traction while applying graphite to their wheels and checking alignment on their cars. Overall, most of the girls surveyed rated this workshop as a very positive experience. They had fun racing their cars against each other. A few girls were able to produce very favorable results by working hard to repeatedly test and improve their car designs. The trophies provided validation of their efforts.

4. Publicity or other public attention. (Attach copies of press clippings, list of dates and stations of TV radio publicity with short description.)

The Girl Scout Organization promoted the GEMS event throughout their organization.

5. Description of deliverables. If not included in this file, describe format, title, etc. (i.e. a video titled "xyz" or a series of web pages at http://www…. )

A Project Description is attached.

6. Lessons learned, problems encountered and future plans (what you would do differently if you did this again.) If the project design you followed differed significantly from the original plan describe the nature of and the reasons for the changes.

Some lessons learned:

We needed more adults to help the girls assemble and race the cars. Four (4) adults per workshop of 15 girls is adequate.

7. Budget and actuals, include all funding sources for income and expenses and show amount paid by the Grant and the balance due. The financial data required for final payment must contain, at a minimum, the following breakdown of expenses:

Item Qty Cost Each Total

Precut Pinewood Derby Kits	45	$4.99	$224.55
Tapered Weights	45	$2.99	$134.55
Tubes of Graphite	4	$3.49	$ 13.96
Racing Wheels	45	$2.99	$134.55
Decals	5	$1.50	$ 7.50
Colored Pens	1	$3.99	$ 3.99
Scientific Calculators (Prizes)	6	$14.99	$89.94
Trophies	12	$5.50	$66.00
Hammers	2	$5.99	$11.98
Labels	4	$1.49	$ 5.96
Photo Develop and Film	1	$14.59	$14.59
Badges	45	$.80	$36.00

Subtotal $743.57

Tax @ 7.25% $ 53.92

Total $797.53

[1] To enter an "X" in any of the boxes on this page, type a "6" in place of the box.