LEGO building is so entertaining and this easy to make LEGO Balloon Car is a perfect example of how wonderful LEGO play is for kids {and adults}. Combine simple science and engineering for STEM activities that will provide hours of fun and laughs. We love easy STEM projects for kids!
BUILD A LEGO BALLOON CAR THAT REALLY GOES!
LET’S BUILD A BALLOON POWERED CAR!
This Lego balloon car is so easy to build and super fun to play with for quite a few ages, at least 5 to 70 to be exact! I wish I could say that this was my awesome idea, but I first saw it over at Frugal Fun for Boys and we adapted this for our younger son.
LEGO BALLOON CAR PROJECT
YOU WILL NEED:
- Basic LEGO bricks
- Also, we love the LEGO Education Wheels Set {Great if you have a group of kids or a large family or a boy who loves to build tons of cars!}
- Balloons
- Small Tape Measure
HOW TO MAKE A BALLOON CAR
Our son is still working on his building skills and designing skills. We all play along and model by doing different ways to build our Lego balloon cars.
Without telling him how to do it, we simply all work together and give him the opportunity to observe what we do. That’s his Lego balloon car below. Dad’s balloon car is the one in the middle on the bottom. Mine’s not too cool, but it worked!
Hint: Check out what we stuck our balloon through to hold it in place. It’s called a 1×2 flat with a handle. You can easily build something that will work.
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LEGO BALLOON POWERED CAR: MAKE IT GO!
Blow up the balloon and let your LEGO car go! How far will your balloon car travel? Grab a measuring tape and see whose car went the farthest! Great for math skills too.
- Why do you think this car went farther?
- Why do you think this car was slower?
- What if we tried it on a rug?
- What happens if the balloon is blown up more or less?
There are endless questions you can ask to explore this fun LEGO activity. Playful learning is where it’s at and this definitely qualifies!
Not only is this LEGO balloon car a great play experience it’s also a great learning experience! Lots of fun math and science to incorporate into this LEGO activity.
Explore simple concepts like force and motion. The balloon forces out air which puts the car into motion. When the force slows down and eventually stops {empty balloon}, the car slows down and stops too. A heavier car will need a greater force but may not travel as far as a lighter car which will require less force to go farther.
Explore Newton’s Laws of Motion too!
So how exactly does the car get its go? It’s all about the thrust and Newton’s Third Law of Motion that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Let’s start with thrust. You blow up the balloon, so now it’s filled with gas. When you release the balloon the air/gas escapes creating a forward pushing motion called thrust! Thrust is created by the energy released from the balloon.
Then, you can bring in Sir Isaac Newton. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is the third law of motion. When the gas is forced out of the balloon it pushed back against the air outside the balloon which then pushes the balloon forward!
Until the balloon is set in action, the LEGO car is at rest and you put it in motion. This is Newton’s 1st and 2nd Laws of Motion. An object at rest stays at rest until a force is added!
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Even better, this easy balloon car activity was a cool family time experience we could all share and laugh over today! LEGOs bring families together and make a great social experience for kids. Of course, LEGO is also great for independent play.
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Simple LEGO building is my favorite, there are so many creative ways to play, explore and learn with LEGO!
MAKE A LEGO BALLOON CAR FOR KIDS!
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It would be nice to know what is in the Lego kit to build the balloon car. Nothing is mentioned about the exact pieces to build this car. Why?
Well LEGO is for the imagination. We made it up using what we had on hand. If you take a look at the cars and pictures, you get a good idea.
What size organizer did you use? I want to make sure I have enough room for all the bigger pieces. Thanks!
Hi Jessica, I picked up this organizer at home dept. It’s part of a box set that holds 4 of them about notepaper size. Have you seen my LEGO organization post? You might find some good ideas there. I love the cases construction people would use to hold nails and screws. https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/hardware-store-lego-organization-ideas/
tankyou
This looks amazing, we are going to try something similar as a party game and then the attendees can take their car home as their party bag 🙂
That’s an awesome party favor idea!
We have created Lego cars in our class. Can you tell me what piece you are using to hold the balloon? That is one item I think would help.
Thanks!
Lori
The on the LEGO! (our favorite starter kits) and “Also we love the LEGO Eduction Wheels set do not work for me. Could you see if the links are still active? Thanks!