Student Worksheet

Design Your Dream Car - Activity Instructions

In this activity, you are going to design your very own dream car. Think big, dream out of the box and send in your wild ideas for a chance to win some great prizes. We’ve included all the instructions for the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest at the end.

REMEMBER:

No idea is a bad idea - sometimes it’s the little ideas that open the way to big dreams!
Don’t worry about what’s possible; just focus on what you’d like to see. Some amazing ideas are born from dreams!

Part A: Movement

Step 1.

Do you think we will still be driving on roads in the future? What if you want to take your car over difficult terrains, like sand, mountains or the ocean? Does a car even need to have four wheels or any wheels at all?

Take some inspiration from animals in the natural world. Imagine a car with spider legs, a car that hops like a kangaroo, a slithering snake type car or a car that flies in any kind of way. You might like to list your ideas here:

Step 2.

Grab a fresh piece of paper and fold it in half twice so that you have four rectangular spaces.

Step 3.

Sketch a draft of four cars that move in different ways. These designs don’t have to be perfect or very detailed, they’re just for exploring ideas. Make sure to explain your designs using labels.

Part B: Sustainable Power

Step 1 (optional).

Watch this report on the World Solar Challenge.

Step 2.

Petrol, gas and diesel are non-renewable resources, which means that they will eventually run out and we won’t have any more of them left on planet Earth. Yet almost all cars currently use these as a source of fuel.

Car manufacturers are already considering alternative energy sources, but we’re sure you could be even more creative.

Think about some things that go into your bin. What about a car powered by banana peels, or cat litter? Remember that years ago, carriages were pulled by horses and sailboats didn’t have motors. What about a pedal-powered car, or a massive wind-up propellor?

Step 3.

Think about what waste products your dream car’s fuel might produce. Fossil fuels (like petrol) produce carbon dioxide emissions, which pollute the air. A solar-powered car has no emissions. A banana-powered car might produce compost, and horses produce manure - both of which are great for the garden! Maybe your car could produce even more interesting ‘waste’, like music or somehow turning rubbish into new electronic devices as it drives.

Step 4.

Grab a new piece of paper and fold it in half twice so that you have four rectangular spaces.

Step 5.

Sketch a draft of four cars that are powered in different ways. These designs don’t have to be perfect or very detailed, they’re just to explore your ideas. Make sure to explain your design using labels.

Part C: Sustainable Materials

Step 1 (optional).

Read this factsheet on natural resources.

Step 2.

There are benefits to using some materials over others in our designs, and we need to consider cost and sustainability. We also have to consider the physical properties of the materials, which might make them unsuitable for our purpose. Good designers think about all these things when figuring out how their ideas might work.

Make a list of materials you might use to build your dream car. Consider and evaluate the benefits and possible challenges of using these materials in your final design.

This table will help you organise your thoughts:

Step 3.

Grab a new piece of paper and fold it in half twice so that you have four rectangular spaces.

Step 4.

Sketch a draft of four cars that are made of different things. These designs don’t have to be perfect or very detailed, they’re just to explore your ideas. Make sure to explain your design using labels.

Part D: Positive Impact

Step 1 (optional).

Watch this report on an ocean rubbish clean-up device.

Step 2.

So far we have been thinking about how to reduce our dream car’s negative impact on the environment, but what if our dream car could also have a positive impact and help people or the environment in some way?

Think about some environmental issue around your home, school or local community. Is there a lot of litter? Maybe your dream car could have a robot arm that picks up rubbish as it drives. Are there a lot of bushfires or long droughts? Maybe your dream car could have a sprinkler to water as it drives. Maybe you want your car to do something nice, like bringing food to the elderly or helping young people stay connected with their friends in some way.

Step 3.

Grab a new piece of paper and fold it in half twice so that you have four rectangular spaces.

Step 4.

Sketch a draft of a feature or attachment that could be added to your dream car that will help people or the environment. These designs don’t have to be perfect or very detailed, they’re just to explore your ideas. Make sure to explain your design using labels.

Part E: Look and Feel

Step 1.

Now it’s time to start thinking about the fun stuff - how your car looks. Grab a new piece of paper and fold it in half twice so that you have four rectangular spaces.

Step 2.

Use the suggestions below to create four varied dream car designs. Good designers don’t just settle on one idea - they try lots of different things and sometimes they’re surprised by what they find when experimenting.

Part F: Create your Toyota Dream Car

Step 1.

Think about all of the things you have considered in Parts A, B, C, D and E:

how your car moves and looks
what it’s made out of
what it’s fuelled by
the positive things it does for the world.

Gather up your favourite bits and pieces from the many designs you’ve drafted already and list them on a new piece of paper. Create some draft sketches that pull together these favourite ideas of yours. Draw a star next to your favourite.

Step 2.

You are now going to create a finished artwork that portrays your final dream car.

Remember:

No idea is a bad idea - sometimes it’s the little ideas that open the way to big dreams!
Don’t worry about what’s possible; just focus on what you’d like to see.
You must create your dream car artwork by yourself (so no working with a friend, your siblings or your parents/caregivers).
Your dream car must be hand-created using things like pencils, pens/markers, crayons, paints, etc. It can’t be made using collage or a computer/digital device.
It must be drawn on an A3 piece of paper (or smaller). You might like to use this Toyota Dream Car Drawing Template.
Find the contest entry information here (including dates, prizes and full terms and conditions).

Step 3.

Write two or three sentences explaining the features of your car and why you made these choices. This will need to be submitted along with your picture.

Step 4.

Finally, scan or take a clear photograph of your picture and submit it using the online entry form.

Taking It Further

You could make your own propeller-powered car using this instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8-84J8vtUg.
You could design a poster or video advertisement encouraging people to switch to hybrid or solar-powered cars, listing the benefits of this change to the consumer and the environment.
You could explore the history of Toyota cars using this website to get started: https://blog.toyota.co.uk/history-of-toyota-cars.
You could explore some ideas for ‘green’ cars of the future using this website to get you started: https://www.thoughtco.com/green-cars-of-the-future-3895640.

Design Your Dream Car (home learning)

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