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Make an upcycled car

Our car is inspired by Dennis Brothers. The company began making cars in a factory in Onslow Street, Guildford from 1901. The factory, the Rodboro Building, is now a pub. The company no longer makes cars but it builds buses and coaches. Perhaps you've travelled on one!

car image

car image
This activity has small parts so is only suitable for children over 3 years old and will need some adult help.

Materials

  • Kitchen roll inner tube
  • Coloured pens or poster paint
  • 4 plastic milk bottle tops
  • Paintbrush
  • Paper straw
  • Adhesive putty
  • 4 split pins
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Coloured stickers (optional)

What to do

1.Cut your kitchen roll in half.

step 2
2. Mark four holes, two along each side, where the wheels will go. Hold the milk bottle tops (the wheels) against the kitchen roll to help you judge where to put the holes. You want the wheels to touch the ground, but you don't want the bottom of the kitchen roll (the body of the car) to touch the ground.

3. Once you are happy with the position, push your pencil tip through to make the hole. Repeat with the three other holes.

4. Push the straw through two opposite holes. Wiggle it a bit to make the hole larger. You need the straw to turn in the hole. Cut the straw so only 1/2cm sticks out each side. Repeat with the other two opposite holes.

car activity
6. Mark out two spaces for seats.

7. Cut out the seats. You might need to make a hole first with the pencil, then use the scissors to cut.

8. Colour in the two flaps to make the back of the seats. Paint the body of the car in your favourite colour and leave to dry.

9. Make a hole in the centre of each milk bottle top with the pencil tip. Push a split pin through each hole.

10. Put some adhesive putty on the end of the split pins and push into the ends of the straws.

Your car is now ready to decorate with coloured pens, paint or stickers.

car activity
car activity