Racing Turtles

crayola supplies

Gel Markers
Model Magic®
No-Run School Glue
Pointed Tip Scissors

household supplies

white paper
cardboard
marbles, ball or rocks

Why

Run your own speedy races with slowpoke Model Magic® critters. What can you do to increase your turtle's speed?

Steps

1. A turtle winning a race? Impossible you say. NO WAY! Remember speed is relative. Who would win the contest if all the racers were turtles?
2. To build your racers, divide a handful of green Crayola Model Magic into two balls. Shape each ball into the shell of a turtle. Make sure that the shell is deep enough for a marble to roll around inside. Dry overnight.
3. On sturdy white paper, trace the shells' shapes with Crayola Gel Markers. Add a turtle head, four legs, and a tail coming out from each oval. Cut out the turtles with Crayola Scissors.
4. Turn the shells over and place a marble inside each one. With Crayola School Glue, attach the paper bodies to the bottom of the shells, trapping the marble inside. Decorate your turtles in a realistic or surrealistic manner. Maybe a few racing stripes? Dry.
5. Draw a starting line at the top of an inclined surface such as a long piece of cardboard. Place your racers on the starting line and let go. The weight of the marble should cause the turtles to tear (relatively speaking) down the track. Good thing turtles have hard shells! Experiment with ways to design faster turtles.

When & Where

"There was much redesign in an effort to streamline the turtles to get a speed advantage. I saw lots of science!"
- Sherlee L., mom of 10- and 12-year-olds.

"Very portable fun! The predictions were flying in the back seat of the camp van."
- Dell D., summer camp counselor.

Interesting Info

A tiny, American-made submarine christened Turtle was used during the Revolutionary War to attack British ships. What shape do you imagine it was?

Safety Guidelines

Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—

Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.