Easy Magnet Powered Cars - Sugru Hack

Have you heard of Sugru? It's a brilliant, mouldable glue that feels like play dough but acts like super glue and sticks to wood, plastic, glass, metal, ceramic and even fabric. It's also dishwasher proof, saltwater proof, electrically insulating and is available in lots of different colours so you can match it with whatever you are fixing or creating. We used it to make a LEGO wall and magnet-powered cars!

Easy Magnetic Cars

To make a magnet-powered car, you'll need a toy car, Sugru and two magnets.

Choose a car you don't mind damaging as the sugru and magnet may damage the car.

Use the sugru to attach a magnet to a car and then use a second magnet to move the car along without the magnets touching.

Magnet Car Challenges

• Race a friend to the finish line, we drew a race track on a large sheet of paper and raced each other.

• Time how long it takes your car to cover a set distance. Try to improve this time by using the magnet wand in different places. Position it on the top of the magnet, to the front and behind. Which works the best?

This video shows the cars in action; we love them!

Magnet powered boats

Magnet powered boats are a fun twist on the car activity too! I made this one using superglue to attach a small magnet to a washing-up sponge.

Quick magnet facts

Remember magnets attract some metals but NOT all! Iron, nickel and steel are attracted to magnets.

Magnets have two ends called poles - a north pole and a south pole.

Two poles the same repel each other.

Two different poles attract each other.

Sugru LEGO Wall

I have tried several times to make a LEGO wall, the first time,e I used velcro, which stuck for a short time but couldn't hold much weight, the second time, I tried very strong double-sided tape, which also didn't work. This time I tried Sugru, and it worked!! All three of my children have played with the board, and it's still stuck to the wall; II am VERY impressed. Now I need to find a more prominent wall and use more base plates.

Thanks to Sugru for sending us a sample

 

Last Updated on January 13, 2023 by Emma Vanstone