How Discovery Lab is teaching kids about wind energy with sail cars

A fun activity at the Discovery Lab is teaching kids about wind energy, motion, friction, and how different forces interact. It can be found in the Workshop as part of the Launch It! theme.

On the Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch, Caitlin Gibbons, the Assistant Education Manager of Classroom Programs at Discovery Lab, takes us step-by-step through how to make a sail car.

Q: What is a sail car?

A: A sail car, also known as a wind-powered car, is a vehicle that uses a sail to harness the energy of the wind to propel it forward. We will see how far it can go, how fast, if it can carry weight, but really the point is to let kids be creative and test out their inventions.

Q: How do you build a sail car?

A: At Discovery Lab, we give kids recycled materials like straws, plastic bottle caps, macrame beads, tape, and paper. The kids can experiment with different shapes and sizes of the sail to see how it impacts the car's performance. Another important design element is the wheels; how big are they? Do they have a texture on them that creates some extra friction that is causing a problem? What do the macrame beads do differently?

Q: What am I learning through this activity?

A: Sail cars are a fun way to teach kids about physics and engineering principles. They offer a great visual representation of Newton's Laws of Motion, but the lessons go beyond science. We also want to encourage endurance and help kids to have the motivation to actually see the design process through, not get discouraged, and know that it is okay to make mistakes. We can test it, prototype it, improve it, and go again.

Q: When can I do this activity and others like it?

A: We are going to have incredible hands-on activities like this inside the Discovery Lab Workshop all day, every day, and our Science Lab, and our Little Lab but we also have summer camp spots still available. Those camps go through August 12 and are tailored to a child's specific interests. To sign up visit our website.